Safety of a Multiperforated Catheter Implanted in the Surgical Wound for the Continuous Infusion of Local Anaesthetics in Post-Operative Analgesia

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the incidence of infection at the surgical site in patients who have a multiperforated catheter implant for continuous infusion of a local anaesthetic as a local analgesic. Patients and methodAn observational, descriptive and prospective study, of one-month duration. It included 50 patients subjected to selective laparotomy in whom a multiperforated pre-peritoneal catheter was implanted for analgesia purposes (Painfusor®. Baxter). Patients with a surgical incision of less than 15cm and/or ASA >III, were excluded from the study. ResultsThe catheter was removed from all patients at 48h. An infection at the surgical site was present in 6% of the patients who had the catheter implanted, which was similar to the incidence in clean-contaminated surgery (5.5%; 95% CI: 3.4%–8.7%). Colonisation of the catheter was observed in two patients, causing only one infection of the surgical site. ConclusionsThe use of an in situ pre-peritoneal catheter for post-surgical anaesthesia does not increase the risk of surgical site infection.