Continuous Subacromial Bupivacaine
Continuous Subacromial Bupivacaine
The investigators wanted to re-evaluate the effects of subacromial bupivacaine infusion after
 shoulder arthroscopy with standard surgical techniques, including rotator cuff operations.
 The investigators hypothesized that patients having 5.0 mg/ml bupivacaine infusion at a rate
 of 2 ml/h subacromially would need less opioids than patients receiving a placebo infusion.
Shoulder surgery has become a routine outpatient procedure. Previously shoulder surgery was
 associated with intense, occasionally severe postoperative pain and hence considerable use of
 opioids. Also arthroscopic shoulder surgery, especially rotator cuff procedures, may cause
 significant pain resulting sometimes in inpatient admission. Subacromial local anaesthetic
 infusion as a part of a multimodal approach is one commonly used modality to pain relief
 after shoulder surgery. Nevertheless, it has been criticized recently for its poor benefits
 and possible adverse effects. On the whole, the scientific evidence of the advantages of
 local anaesthetic infusions is inconclusive.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  subacromial impingement disease

 -  scheduled for an elective arthroscopic surgery

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  liver disease

 -  renal impairment

 -  psychiatric disorder

 -  alcohol abuse

 -  obesity (a body mass index of > 35 kg/m2)

 -  allergies to the drugs used in the study