Intra-articular levobupivacaine, lornoxicam and morphine analgesia after knee arthroscopy: a randomized, controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic effects of intra-articular levobupivacaine alone, intra-articular levobupivacaine in combination with lornoxicam, and intra-articular levobupivacaine in combination with lornoxicam and morphine on patients following arthroscopic surgery.
Methods: The study included 60 ASA 1 and 2 patients between the ages of 20 and 70 years, scheduled for elective arthroscopy. Patients were divided into three groups of 20 through a randomized, double-blind method. Group 1 received 50 mg of levobupivacaine intra-articularly, Group 2 received 50 mg of levobupivacaine plus 8 mg of lornoxicam, and Group 3 received 50 mg of levobupivacaine plus 8 mg of lornoxicam and 8 mg of morphine. Visual analog scale (VAS) data was collected prospectively for the first 24 postoperative hours.
Results: Group 2 showed statistically significant differences, especially in VAS values with movement at 0, 4, and 6 hours (p