Research Article
Comparative Analysis of Intraoperative use of Liposomal Bupivacaine (Exparel) and ON-Q Pump for Postoperative Analgesia in Abdominal Body Contouring Surgery in Massive Weight Loss Patients
Tran JP, Padilla PL, McLaughlin J, Aliano KA, Doan M and Phillips LG*
Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, USA
*Corresponding author: Linda G. Phillips, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, McCullough 6.124 Galveston, TX 77555-0724, USA
Published: 10 Aug, 2016
Cite this article as: Tran JP, Padilla PL, McLaughlin J, Aliano KA, Doan M, Phillips LG. Comparative Analysis of Intraoperative use of Liposomal Bupivacaine (Exparel) and ON-Q Pump for Postoperative Analgesia in Abdominal Body Contouring Surgery in Massive Weight Loss Patients. Clin Surg. 2016; 1: 1080.
Abstract
Background: Pain management is particularly important in massive weight loss patients undergoing abdominoplasty. In the setting of abdominoplasty, patients usually require multi-modal analgesia
to achieve adequate pain control. Liposomal bupivacaine, marketed as Exparel, and the continuous
local anesthetic infusion pump, or On-Q pump, are two pain control modalities often used after
body contouring procedures.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Exparel with the On-Q
pump following abdominal body contouring procedures in massive weight loss patients.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all massive weight loss patients who
underwent a variety of body contouring procedures, including fleur-de-Lis abdominoplasty, belt
lipectomy, abdominoplasty, and combined belt lipectomy at a single institution between 2009-2014.
Demographics, preoperative laboratory studies, procedure report, and 0-48 hour post-procedure
assessment logs were reviewed for the study.
Results: Fifty-seven patients were included in the study. Forty-five patients received Exparel for
postoperative pain control and twelve received the On-Q pump. The results demonstrate that opioid
requirements for the Exparel group were significantly less than the On-Q group from 0-12 hours
and from 12-24 hours.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that patients who received Exparel had lower requirements
for postoperative opiates than those who received the On-Q pump. The data showed that a singledose
local infiltrative injection of Exparel is superior to the continuous bupivacaine pump infusion
for pain control. Based on patient reported pain scores, Exparel was superior to bupivacaine pump
at improving patient comfort within the first 12 hours postop.
Keywords: Liposomal bupivacaine; Massive weight loss; Abdominoplasty; Body contouring
Introduction
Poorly controlled postoperative pain in massive weight loss patients undergoing abdominoplasty
has been shown to increase the incidence of deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolus and delayed
wound healing [1-3]. In the setting of an abdominoplasty, patients usually require multimodal
analgesia to achieve adequate pain control, including patient-controlled narcotic analgesic pumps
intravenously, and/or oral opioids on an as-needed basis [4]. There has been an increased effort
to utilize non-narcotic multimodal analgesia to reduce opioid load and minimize opioid-related
adverse side effects, while achieving sufficient pain control. Over the years, several opioid sparing
strategies utilizing bupivacaine have had varying degrees of success at reducing postoperative pain
[5]. These therapies include continuous local anesthetic infusion pump, marketed as On-Q Pump
(Halyard) and/or direct local anesthetic infiltration with bupivacaine hydrochloride. Liposomal
Bupivacaine (LB), marketed as Exparel (Pacira) is a new multivesicular formulation of bupivacaine
designed to be extended release [5]. Multiple studies have shown that perioperative use of LB can
maintain analgesia for up to 72 hours after surgery, a time when the prevalence of postoperative
pain is often most severe [4,5].
The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of LB
with On-Q infusion pump following abdominal body contouring
procedures in massive weight loss patients.
Table 1
Table 1
Patient demographics.
Abbreviations: BMI=Body Mass Index; FDL=Fleur De Lis Abdominoplasty; SD=Standard Deviation
Table 2
Table 2
Study measurements between LB and On-Q for morphine equivalents for the first 48 hours and pain measurements for the first 48 hours.
Materials and Methods
Study design
After Institutional Review Board approval was obtained, a
retrospective chart review was performed on all patients who
underwent body contouring procedures, specifically, Fleur de Lis
abdominoplasty, belt lipectomy, abdominoplasty, and combined
Fleur de Lis abdominoplasty with belt lipectomy with abdominal
plication at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston
Hospital between 2009-2014. The timeframe was methodically
selected and depicts the institution’s progression of multimodal
analgesic strategies. The institution implemented the use of the
bupivacaine pump in 2009 and subsequently transitioned to LB in
2012. Inclusion criteria included patients that had undergone Massive
weight Loss (MWL) with subsequent body contouring procedures,
as listed above. Patients with history of chronic pain, and/or those
patients who underwent concomitant procedures under another
surgical service were excluded from the review. Demographics,
medical history, surgical history, medication administration record,
and pain scores were obtained from patients 0-48 hours postprocedure.
Method of bupivacaine administration
Liposomal bupivacaine: a total of one vial of 20 mL of LB was
administered per patient. The 20 mL LB vial was diluted with 0.9%
sterile normal saline. The solution was injected along skin incision
lines and directly into the fascia prior to closure. The distribution of
injections included the anterior abdominal fascia, costal margins,
bilateral flank fascia, and along the rectus plication line.
Bupivacaine infusion pump: Includes an elastomeric pump filled
with 0.25% bupivacaine solution (total volume of 400 mL) with two
catheters, which deliver anesthesia at a rate of 2 mL/hr each with
consistent pressure (10 psi). Catheters were placed using an introducer
by inserting 20-gauge guiding needles into the subcutaneous tissue,
overlying the fascial plication lines, and exiting just above and
below the length of the incisions. Each catheter typically covered
approximately 20 cm of the incision line. The On-Q Painbuster
Infiltration System continually infused anesthesia (bupivacaine) at
a rate of 2mL/h (120 mg per day) to the incision site for 48 hours
and was subsequently removed. This is well below the recommended
maximum dose of 400 mg in 24 hours [6,7]. Products were utilized in
the manner stated by the respective manufactures product insert and
guidelines of administration.
Outcome measures
Postoperative opioid requirements during 48 hours postop were
converted to morphine equivalents for standardized comparison. Pain
scores were obtained during 48 hours postop using the Numerical
Rating Scale (NRS) assigning a value n=1-10. The numerical rating
scale has been well validated in the literature and is commonly utilized
as a pain assessment tool [8].
Statistical analysis
Data was collected and analyzed in an Excel database (Microsoft
Corp., Redmond, Wash.). The two-tailed independent t-test was used
to assess opioid requirements and pain scores. The two-way ANOVA
was also utilized to assess interactions between age and BMI in
response to opioid usage within the LB group. A p-value of < 0.05 was
considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was reviewed
and completed by the university’s biostatistics.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Average total morphine equivalents used postoperatively for
LB versus on-Q*. *LB = liposomal bupivacaine; On-Q = On-Q Painbuster
Infiltration 0.25% bupivacaine infusion; Error bars represent standard error
of mean.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average postoperative pain scores for LB versus On-Q. *LB
= liposomal bupivacaine; On-Q = On-Q Painbuster Infiltration 0.25%
bupivacaine infusion; Error bars represent standard error of mean.
Results
Fifty-seven patient charts were ultimately included and reviewed
(Table 1). Twenty-two underwent Fleur de Lis abdominoplasty,
twenty-five underwent abdominoplasty, and ten underwent
combined abdominoplasty with belt lipectomy (Table 2). There were
4 males and 53 females who with an average age of 49 years and an
average BMI of 31.06 (+/- 4.47). LB was used in 45 patients, and the
remaining 12 patients received the bupivacaine infusion pump for
postoperative pain control.
The average equianalgesic morphine usage over the 48-hour
period (Figure 1) was 14.96 mg (range 0.00 – 60.34) for the LB group
and 33.83 mg (range 6.66 – 107) for the On-Q group (p=0.003).
Additionally, this 48-hour period was broken down into 12-hour
intervals to assess for differences in LB versus On-Q at various time
points in the 48 hours (Table 3). The total number of patients in the
first 12-hour period (time 0-12 hours) was 57.
The average pain score (Table 3, Figure 2) over the first 12-hour
period (time 0-12 hours) was 1.20 (range 0 – 10) for the LB group
and 3.08 (range0 – 10) for the On-Q group (p=0.04). The average
equianalgesic morphine usage (Table 3, Figure 3) over the first 12-
hour period (time 0-12 hours) was 8.49 mg (range 0 – 26) for the LB
group and 17.03 mg (range 3.33 – 47) for the On-Q group (p = 0.01).
The total number of patients in the second 12-hour period (time
12-24 hours) was 36. The average pain score (Table 3, Figure 2) over
the second 12-hour period (time 12-24 hours) was 3.40 (range 0 –
10) for the LB group and 4.83 (range 0 – 10) for the On-Q group (p
=0.06). The average equianalgesic morphine usage (Table 3, Figure
3) over the second 12-hour period (time 12-24 hours) was 8.17 mg
(range 2.00– 24.33) for the LB group and 14.60 mg (range 3.33 –
31.67) for the On-Q group (p=0.03).
The total number of patients in the third 12-hour period (time
24-36 hours) was 13. The average pain score (Table 3, Figure 2) over
the third 12-hour period (time 12-24 hours) was 3.77 (range0 – 10)
for the LB group and 4.88 (range 0 – 10) for the On-Q group (p =
0.41). The average equianalgesic morphine usage (Table 3, Figure 3)
over the third 12-hour period (time 24-36 hours) was 5.50 mg (range
3 – 21) for the LB group and 13.44 mg (range 5.33 – 25) for the On-Q
group (p=0.11).
The total number of patients in the fourth 12-hour period (time
36-48 hours) was six. The average pain score (Table 3, Figure 2) over
the fourth 12-hour period (time 36-48 hours) was 4.8 (range 0 – 9)
for the LB group and six (range 0 – 10) for the On-Q group (p=
0.71). The average equianalgesic morphine usage (Table 3, Figure 3)
over the fourth 12-hour period (time 36-48 hours) was 8 mg (range
4 – 16.67) for the LB group and 5.11 mg (range 3.33 – 8.33) for the
On-Q group (p=0.57).
A total of 21 patients were discharged (Figure 4) in the over the
first 12-hour period (time 0-12 hours) (19 LB, 2 On-Q). A total of
23 patients were discharged in the over the second 12-hour period
(time 12-24 hours) (16 LB, 7 On-Q). A total of seven patients were
discharged in the over the third 12-hour period (time 24-36 hours)
(7 LB, 0 On-Q). A total of six patients were discharged in the over
the fourth 12-hour period (time 36-48 hours) (3 LB, 3 On-Q). The
average time to discharge for LB was 17.67 hours and on-Q was 24.65
hours (p=0.11).
Impact of LB on Age and BMI
An additional analysis was performed within the LB group
to see its impact on age and BMI. The patients were stratified by
2 ages groups (less than 50 years old, and equal to or greater than
50), and 2 BMI groups (less than 30, and equal to or greater than
30). Total opioid requirements over the same 48-hour postoperative
window were analyzed within each of the four subgroup. Of the total
45 patients treated with LB, 24 patients were younger than 50 years
of age and required 18.95 mg of morphine equivalents on average,
and 21 patients were 50 or older and required 10.44 mg of morphine
equivalents on average. The average equianalgesic morphine
requirements were significantly higher in the younger patients less
than 50 years of age (p=0.04) via independent t-test.
Out of the same 45 patients, a total of 22 patients had a BMI of less
than 30 and required 15.61 mg of morphine equivalents on average.
The remaining 23 patients had a BMI of 30 or greater and required
an average of 14.37 mg of morphine equivalents. The BMI level had
no significant impact on opioid usage in LB patients (p=0.77) via
independent t-test. The categories were also crossed with each other
(BMI < 30 x Age < 50, BMI < 30 x Age > 50, BMI >30 x Age < 50, and
BMI > 30 x Age >50) and analyzed via two-way ANOVA to check for
interactions. There are no significant interactions that exist between
age and BMI in response to opioid usage in LB-treated patients (p=0.53).
Table 3
Figure 3
Figure 3
Postoperative average morphine equivalents used for LB versus
On-Q*. *LB = liposomal bupivacaine; On-Q = On-Q Painbuster Infiltration
0.25% bupivacaine infusion; Error bars represent standard error of mean.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number of patients present at 12-hour intervals postoperatively
for LB versus On-Q*. *LB = liposomal bupivacaine; On-Q = On-Q Painbuster
Infiltration 0.25% bupivacaine infusion.
Discussion
Multimodal analgesia with liposomal bupivacaine following
abdominoplasty has the potential to improve pain management in the
massive weight loss patient. Current methods for pain control vary
from surgeon to surgeon. The bupivacaine pump has been considered
as part of many surgeons’ multimodal analgesia regimen, however,
its’ efficacy remains equivocal in the literature [9,10]. The results
from our review showed that patients who received LB consistently
required less opioids during the first 48 postop hours compared to
patients with the On-Q pump. The data showed that a single-dose local
infiltrative injection of LB is superior to the continuous bupivacaine
pump infusion for pain control. Based on patient reported pain
scores, LB was superior to bupivacaine pump at improving patient
comfort within the first 12 hours postop. The opioid usage data may
have not continued to reach statistical significance after 12 hours due
to varying times of discharge, which severely decreased the sample
size.
Since our LB group was matched upon stratification by age
and BMI, we were curious to see the impact of LB on these two
independent variables. Patients greater than the age of 50 required
significantly less pain medication than those less than 50 years of age.
Age-related decline in the perception of noxious stimuli have been
studied within the context of postoperative pain. This results of this
study correlate with the current hypothesis that there is an increase
in pain tolerance with increasing age, which would subsequently
reduce the patient’s analgesic demand [11]. Obese versus non-obese
individuals did not have a differing response to opioid demand. The
results showed that LB is equally effective in either BMI category.
Although some studies have shown that patients with BMI>30 are
at risk for increased complications, LB is still an effective analgesic
at controlling postoperative pain, and curbing opioid-related
complications through a reduction in opioid requirements [12].
Our results mirrored those observed by Morales et al. [13] in a
similarly designed retrospective review. That study looked at an allfemale
population (average BMI 27) following abdominoplasty and
abdominoplasty with combined procedures, and reported that the
use of LB decreased pain pill use and pain scores. However, this study
was limited due to lack of a comparison group. To our knowledge,
this study is the first to comparatively analyze the effectiveness of LB
to the On-Q pump following abdominoplasty.
In recent years, there has been an upward trend in body
contouring surgery after massive weight-loss, and it is anticipated
that this relationship will continue to grow [14]. It is imperative that
practices are well prepared to treat this patient population since MWL
patients are inherently difficult surgical candidates. Uncontrolled
postsurgical pain and opioid use can affect recovery time and lead
to unwanted outcomes and opioid-related complications. The results
of this study have shown that multimodal analgesia with LB is
comparatively effective in MWL patients. In comparison with On-Q
pump, LB promotes a more pleasant postoperative experience for the
patient through a reduction in opioid requirements, and should be
considered as a viable modality for plastic surgeons.
Limitations of this study included a small sample size and the
retrospective nature of the data analyzed. The lack of a large sample
size limited propensity matching, thus reducing the power of the
study. Despite these limitations, the authors felt that this study gave
an accurate and objective assessment of the comparative effectiveness
of LB by focusing on quantifiable and objective data. The opioid
requirements were converted to morphine equivalents and the pain
scores were recorded consistently per PACU assessment, which
minimizes any errors in patient self-reporting.
Cost and Hazard
LB is an expensive product that may not be available to all patients.
Needless to say, the authors have shown that the use of this product
is superior to the more expensive alternative, the bupivacaine pump.
The OnQ pump is at risk for malfunction, accidental disruption, and
disrupts patient comfort.
The liver metabolizes bupivacaine, thus LB must be used with
caution with patients with hepatic disease [1,15]. In addition, other
bupivacaine products should not be administered within 96 hours
of injecting liposomal bupivacaine due to risk of toxicity. Multiple
studies have shown detectable plasma levels of Exparel 72-96 hours
postop [16,17]. Our study did not look at any long-term complications
with the use of LB. This is an area of potential further research.
In the setting of abdominal body contouring in MWL patients,
LB use could potentially decrease the need for elastomeric pumps
and continuous catheters and their associated limitations with higher
costs and inconvenience. A potential future direction for this study
includes a formal cost-effective analysis of LB versus the On-Q
system to further justify the use of one local anesthetic modality over
the other. Although length of stay is commonly used as a factor in
gauging health economic outcomes, the length in this study did not
differ significantly between the two groups.
Conclusion
The results of our study indicated that Exparel could be utilized as an adjunct in postoperative analgesic care. LB appears to decrease opioid requirements in the first 48 hours postop more than the bupivacaine pump. LB was additionally shown to be non-inferior to bupivacaine pump at improving patient comfort based on pain score ratings in the postoperative period in MWL patients following abdominoplasty.
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