Levobupivacaine

This prospective single-center observational pharmacokinetic study will evaluate plasma levobupivacaine concentrations after ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in adult patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery under general anesthesia at CHU Liège. Participants receiving TAP block as part of standard clinical care (levobupivacaine 0.375%, total volume 40 mL, maximum dose 150 mg) will undergo serial blood sampling at 3, 7, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after block completion. Plasma levobupivacaine concentrations will be measured using validated LC-MS/MS methods. The primary objectives are to estimate maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and time to maximum concentration (Tmax). Secondary objectives include characterization of the concentration-time profile, AUC0-180, interindividual variability, and exploratory associations with clinical factors (age, sex, BMI, type of surgery). The study also aims to inform a pragmatic safety window for subsequent intravenous lidocaine infusion used in multimodal analgesia protocols. Approximately 26 participants will be enrolled. No modification of routine anesthesia or analgesic care is required apart from study-related blood sampling.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is commonly performed for (pre)cancerous lesions in the esophagus. Following ESD, post-procedural chest pain is seen in many patients. Studies have shown that local bupivacaine (BP) into the residual submucosal layer of the resection wound after gastric ESD could reduce post-procedural pain rates effectively. Levobupivacaine (LB) is equipotent to BP regarding analgesic effects, but has a better safety profile. No studies have been performed to evaluate the efficacy of LB after esophageal ESD to reduce pain. Therefore, we want to evaluate the effect on post-procedural pain of local application of LB during esophageal ESD.