[Infiltration of local anesthetics into the thyroid gland capsule for surgery and the postoperative period].

In a prospective randomized study the hypothesis was tested whether infiltration of the thyroid capsule by a local anaesthetic will reduce the haemodynamic response to surgical trauma, consumption of anaesthetics and opioids during surgery and will shorten the time of arousal. A total of 64 patients indicated for planned goitre surgery were divided at random into a control group (C, n = 32) and experimental group (LA, n = 32). The preoperative medication and anesthesia did not differ in the two groups. In group C into the thyroid capsule a maximum of 40 ml saline was administered, in LA the same volume of 0.5% trimecain. A highly significant difference was found (p < 0.001) in the incidence of hypertension during surgery (21 C vs. 5 LA) and the need of further pharmacological interventions (21 vs. 8). In the control group was a higher consumption (p < 0.95) of the opioid phentanyl (167.5 +/- 111 micrograms vs. 125 +/- 93.5 micrograms), a trend of longer arousal and the need to antagonize the effect of opioid (p < 0.1). The substitution of saline by a local anaesthetic for infiltration of the thyroid capsule is a safe and simple method leading to a reduction of cardiovascular complications during surgery.