Opioid-based Anaesthesia versus Opioid Free Anaesthesia in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomies: A Randomised Clinical Study

Introduction: Intravenous opioids have been frequently used to provide analgesia and supplemental sedation during general anaesthesia or monitored anaesthesia care. Opioid Free Anaesthesia (OFA) is a multimodal approach which combines different drugs likes lignocaine, dexamethasone, paracetamol and dexmedetomidine with different techniques such as hypnosis, sedation, analgesia and sympatholysis. Thus, reducing and avoiding opioids perioperatively will lead to decrease in opioid related adverse effects with better postoperative outcomes. Aim: To compare OFA and Opioid-based Anaesthesia (OBA) in terms of haemodynamic stability, speed and quality of recovery, postoperative pain score and analgesic requirement. Material and Methods: The present study was a randomised study conducted over a period from June 2021 to September 2022, in which 90 patients of American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) Grade I,II, 20-60 years of age undergoing elective Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC) were divided into OBA fentanyl and OFA-lignocaine and dexmedetomidine. A standard general anaesthesia protocol of the institute was followed. OBA group received fentanyl (2 mu g/kg) over 10 minutes before induction of anaesthesia and OFA group received lignocaine (2 mg/kg) and dexmedetomidine (0.5 mu g/kg) both intravenously over 10 minutes before induction of anaesthesia. In OFA group analgesia was maintained by infusion of lignocaine 2 mg/kg/hr and dexmedetomidine 0.5 mu g/kg/hr whereas in OBA group fentanyl 0.5 mu g/kg was given whenever required till the gallbladder was resected. Postoperative intraperitoneal instillation of gallbaldder fossa was done with 20 mL 0.5% bupivacaine. Intraoperative mean Heart Rate (HR) and Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) were recorded. Postoperative speed and quality of recovery, pain score, analgesic requirements and incidence of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) were noted. Paracetamol 15 mg/kg was given intravenously whenever Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score was =6. Comparison of means between the two groups was done using unpaired t-test, association between two non parametric variables was done using Pearson Chi-square (chi(2) test) test. Results: The mean age, sex, weight, ASA and duration of surgery were comparable in both the groups. The mean HR and mean MAP were significantly lower in OFA group compared to the OBA group at all the time points (p-value=0.001). Although postoperative speed of recovery was slower in OFA group, the overall quality of recovery was better (p-value=0.001). The postoperative pain score, analgesic requirement and incidence of nausea and vomiting were all significantly less in OFA group as compared to OBA group with p-values of 0.02, 0.001 and 0.02, respectively. Conclusion: OFA is new anaesthetic approach that provides better perioperative haemodynamic stability, postoperative pain control with less PONV and thus can be used safely and successfully.