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Abdominal surgery has a high incidence of postoperative pain and dysfunctional gastrointestinal motility. This study investigated the effect of a continuous intraoperative infusion of lidocaine on patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation, 50 subjects were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Both groups received an intravenous lidocaine bolus of 1 mg/kg on induction. The experimental group received a continuous lidocaine infusion of 2 mg/kg/h, initiated following induction and discontinued 15 to 30 minutes before skin closure. Controls received a placebo infusion. Patients in the experimental group had lower postoperative day 3 pain scores using a verbal analog scale (P = .02). Morphine equivalent dose at second request for pain treatment in the postoperative anesthesia care unit was lower in the experimental group (P = .02). There was a statistically significant difference in time interval from surgical start to return of first flatus between the groups (P = .02). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A P value less than .05 was considered significant. These study results are consistent with previous research suggesting that intraoperative lidocaine infusion may improve postoperative pain levels and may shorten the time to return of bowel function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]