Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial of Locally Instilled Bupivacaine in the Surgical Bed After Unilateral Mastectomy Without Reconstruction

Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare using FDA-approved bupivacaine (a numbing medicine), along with the usual medications for post-operative pain control to using the usual medications for postoperative pain control alone. The addition of bupivacaine to the surgical wound site with the usual pain medications could better manage your pain immediately after surgery and reduce the amount of opioid medications taken after surgery. This study will allow the researchers to know whether this different approach is better, the same, or worse than the usual approach.

Arms & interventions

• DrugBupivacaine

  The intervention in this study is the insertion of 20cc of 0.5% bupivacaine via a drain into the mastectomy wound for 2 hours ± 30 minutes postoperatively in patients undergoing unilateral mastectomy without breast reconstruction +/- SLNB, +/- axillary dissection.

• Behavioralpatient-reported pain scores

  Will be recorded by the nurse in the PACU as per usual practice. Patients will be given a follow-up Brief Pain Inventory (short form) 6 months and 1 year after surgery to assess their level of chronic pain. Patients may be discharged when table either on the day of surgery or post-operative day 1 (on pill diary for same-day discharge patients).

• Othersaline

  The intervention in this study is the insertion of 20cc of saline via a drain into the mastectomy wound for 2 ± 30 minutes hours postoperatively in patients undergoing unilateral mastectomy without breast reconstruction +/- SLNB, +/- axillary dissection.

Outcome measures

Eligibility criteria