The Effect of Pre-incisional Local Xylocaine Injection on Post Operative Pain and Scar Formation After Cesarean Section

Pain Relief Clinical Trial

Official title: The Effect of Pre-incisional Local Xylocaine Injection on Post Operative Pain and Scar Formation After Cesarean Section

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will examine whether pre-incision infiltration of the skin cut site can attenuate post operative pain after a cesarean section. One hundred and twenty women will be allocated to get 20 ml of either placebo or 1% xylocaine at the site of skin incision. We will also examine possible effect of this infiltration of parameters of wound heeling and scar formation, six weeks post partum.

Clinical Trial Description

Among all other abdominal operations cesarean section is unique in two aspects. First, the requirement for rapid and as painless as possible recovery is not only important for the general good reasons, but there is the newborn baby, who needs maternal care. Second, in many cases the operation recurs in the same site, which may involve higher level of post operative pain.

Application of local anesthetics to the incision site have been tried for abdominal operation in several forms, ranging from pre-incision injection (1-6) through post incision injection (7 ) to indwelling catheter for protracted instillation (8-9). Where tried, these methods mostly contributed to the reduction of post operative pain and patients' satisfaction, although there is no consensus as to its efficacy. Yet, local, pre-incision injection of local anesthetics has not been tested for cesarean section.

The above not withstanding, it has been proposed that local infiltration of tissue with xylocaine may interfere with wound healing (10-11). Others suggested possible benefit due to antimicrobial activity (12) Conversely, Al- Asfour et al. (13) found no effect of topical oral application of xylocaine on experimental wounds in rabbits. Interestingly, Drucker et al. found that less collagen was deposited in healing wounds that were infiltrated with xylocaine prior to incision, while the strength of the scar was not affected (14-15).

Our proposed study will examine whether pre-incision infiltration of the skin cut site can attenuate post operative pain after a cesarean section. It will also examine possible effect of this infiltration of parameters of wound heeling and scar formation. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Pain Relief
• Pain, Postoperative

• NCT number: NCT00914498
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: The Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya
• Contact: Izhar Ben-Shlomo, MD
• Phone: 972-50-6268024
• Email: izharbs@netvision.net.il
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 2009