Background: Intravenous infusion of lidocaine may decrease postoperative pain and speed return of bowel function. We therefore tested the hypothesis that including perioperative lidocaine infusion improves recovery from laparoscopic colectomy and shortens the duration of hospitalization.

Methods: Forty patients scheduled for laparoscopic colectomy were randomly allocated to receive intravenous lidocaine (bolus injection of 1.5 mg.kg-1 lidocaine at induction of anesthesia, then a continuous infusion of 2 mg.kg-1.h-1 intraoperatively and 1.33 mg.kg-1.h-1 for 24 h postoperatively) or an equal volume of saline. All patients received similar intensive postoperative rehabilitation. Postoperative pain scores, opioid consumption, and fatigue scores were measured. Times to first flatus, defecation, and hospital discharge were recorded. Postoperative endocrine (cortisol and catecholamines) and metabolic (leucocytes, C-reactive protein, and glucose) responses were measured for 48 h. Data (median [25%-75% interquartile range] Saline vs Lidocaine groups) were analyzed using Mann-Whitney tests. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.