Effectiveness of Lignocaine Tramadol Hydrochloride Combination in Bier’s Block on Post-Operative Analgesia

Background: Bier’s block has been most commonly used for hand and wrist surgery. Though it reduces the potential complication of general anaesthesia, significant post-operative pain is very common just after tourniquet release. Many adjuvants have been used so far with local anaesthetic to produce a dense block and to provide adequate post–operative analgesia. Of them, Tramadol Hydrochloride was used very successfully as it has got less potential side effects. This study was done to see the effect of Tramadol Hydrochloride in Bier’s block for post-operative analgesia after tourniquet release. Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Anaesthesiology, Bangladesh Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, during the period of July ’2011 to march ’2012. A total sixty patients aged 20-60 years of ASA-1 and ASA-2 undergoing hand and wrist surgery of less than 40-minute duration were enrolled for the study. The effectiveness of combination of Lignocaine and Tramadol Hydrochloride as an anaesthetic solution in Bier’s block was assessed in terms of reduction of tourniquet pain, quality of anaesthesia, the time of first analgesic demand, and the amount of total analgesic needed in post-operative 24-hours period. Patients in control group (Gr-L) received 40 ml of 0.5% Lignocaine and patients in trial group (Gr-LT) received 38 ml of Lignocaine with 2ml (100mg) of Tramadol Hydrochloride as an anaesthetic solution. Patients were observed post-operatively for 24 hours. Pain was assessed in terms of VAS. Results: Tourniquet pain was significantly less in Gr-LT (p<0.000). Post-operative analgesia was also significantly prolonged in Gr-LT (109.61±12.32 min) than in Gr-L (75.8±9.30 min). The number of total analgesic demand in post-operative 24 hours period was also significantly reduced in Gr-LT (P<0.000).Conclusion: The Lignocaine and Tramadol Hydrochloride mixture in Bier’s block provides adequate post-operative analgesia and causes less analgesic demand in post-operative period.