Background: Pain is a common complaint of patients after surgery. Different techniques or medications including local anesthetics infiltration, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or opioids have been used for postoperative analgesia. Lidocaine is an amide local anesthetic agent that works by influencing the complex phenomenon of pain.

Aim: To compare the mean pain score with intraoperative lidocaine versus control in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia.

Methods: 350 patients aged 20-60 years of either sex scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in the study. Patients with allergy to lidocaine; patients with neuromuscular disease, endocrine or metabolic disorder and pregnant patients were excluded from study. Patients were randomly divided in two groups by using lottery method after taking informed consent. On arrival to the operating room, monitor was attached to display continuous ECG, mean arterial blood pressure, and arterial oxygen saturation.

Results: In lidocaine group, the mean age of patients was 39.93±11.56years. In control group, the mean age of patients was 37.93±11.83years. In lidocaine group, there were 91 (52%) males and 84 (48%) females. In control group, there were 77 (44%) males and 98 (56%) females. In lidocaine group, the mean BMI of patients was 26.66±4.81kg/m2. In control group, the mean BMI of patients was 26.77±4.76kg/m2. In lidocaine group, the mean pain score of patients was 1.00±0.84. In control group, the mean pain score of patients was 2.39±1.10. The difference was significant (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Thus lidocaine is found to be more effective in reducing postoperative pain than control.

Keywords: General anesthesia, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, lidocaine, postoperative pain.