EFFICACY OF INTRATHECAL MORPHINE COMBINED WITH 0.75% ROPIVACAINE HEAVY FOR POST-OPERATIVE ANALGESIA IN LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Objective: The advent of laparoscopy has been a boon in a diverse range of surgeries, nonetheless the associated post-operative visceral pain significantly contributes to delayed hospital discharge and consequent ill effects. Hence, this research was planned to assess the effect of intrathecal Morphine combined with 0.75% Ropivacaine heavy on post-operative analgesia post-operatively in subjects undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The objective is to determine the duration of post-operative analgesia and the need for rescue analgesics within the first 24 h following the surgery. Methods: A total of 102 subjects who consented to participate in the research and were scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled and assigned to two groups through computer-generated randomization. Group A received Morphine (200 mcg) combined with 0.75% Ropivacaine, diluted to a total volume of 2 mL, while Group B was administered 0.75% Ropivacaine heavy (2 mL). Post-operative assessments included the total duration of analgesia, the overall dose of rescue analgesics utilized, and any complications, which were subsequently compared between the two groups. Results: The length of post-operative analgesia recorded in Group A was 23.28±5.33 h and 6.56±5.19 h for Group B. The rescue analgesics required in Group A was 17.45±36.102 mg whereas for Group B was 135.49±59.977 mg. The p-value was significant (p≤0.001) for both parameters. Lower visual analog scale score was recorded inpatient receiving morphine as compared to that of control No significant difference was seen in demographic data between the two groups. No statistical significance was recorded between the two groups with respect to any of the complications except for urinary retention which was 31.5% in our study. Conclusion: The deduction that we reached was lower dose of Morphine as an adjunct added to intrathecal Ropivacaine significantly increases post-operative analgesia with diminished analgesic requirement in subjects undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy