The Efficacy of Continuous Bupivacaine Infiltration Following Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

60 patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair received a bolus injection of 35 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine in the subacromial space at surgical closure. Afterwards, they were randomized to receive either 0.25% bupivacaine at 2 mL/hr, 0.25% bupivacaine at 5 mL/hr, or saline (placebo) at 5 mL/hr via infusion pump, in order to assess the effectiveness of infusion pumps in lowering post-operative pain. Following evaluations over a 48 hour period, no significant difference was observed among the 2-mL, 5-mL, and placebo groups. Although pain was lower in the 2 mL group, this observation was not statistically significant. Results indicated that the efficacy of infusion pumps is still unclear.