Is it advantageous to add epinephrine to the arthroscopic infusion solution for the treatment of rotator cuff injury?

Objective: To evaluate the use of epinephrine in arthroscopic infusion serum as a measure to improve the quality of surgical viewing during procedures for treating rotator cuff tears. Methods: This was a prospective randomized double-blind comparative study in which 49 arthroscopic repair procedures on rotator cuff tears were evaluated. Patients presenting ASA I and II surgical risk were included. The patients were placed into two groups: the first with epinephrine (1 mg/L) in the infusion serum and the second with pure physiological solution. A single surgeon was responsible for the procedures, without knowledge of the medication usage. The surgeon rated his quality of viewing during the operation, on an increasing scale from 0 to 10. Interscalene block or suprascapular nerve block was chosen randomly and used in association with general anesthesia. The anesthetist issued final report relating to possible intercurrences. Results: The group with epinephrine received an average score of 9.29 and the group without epinephrine received an average score of 7.16. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). There was no important clinical alteration relating to use of this drug. Conclusion: As well as being safe, addition of epinephrine at a concentration of 1 mg/L to the infusion serum was shown to be effective for improving the visual field during arthroscopy to repair rotator cuff injuries.