Is continuous wound infiltration non‐inferior to continuous intravenous fentanyl for pain control following gynaecological surgery?

A recent article in the BJOG journal compared the effectiveness of continuous wound infiltration (CWI) and continuous intravenous fentanyl (IVF) for pain control after gynecological surgery. The study found that the postoperative analgesic efficacy of CWI was not inferior to IVF. However, there were some limitations to the study, including the lack of patient status during pain evaluations and the high doses of opioids used in both groups. The study did not meet the requirements of current enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols, which recommend the use of non-opioid analgesics. Additionally, patient satisfaction with pain control was not assessed. Therefore, the authors do not agree that CWI is non-inferior to IVF for postoperative pain control in gynecological surgery. [Extracted from the article]