Pain Control in Augmentation Mammaplasty: Safety and Efficacy of Indwelling Catheters in 644 Consecutive Patients

A prospective study of 644 consecutive augmentation mammaplasty patients shows that indwelling catheters for the postoperative instillation of bupivacaine are both safe and effective in the management of postoperative pain. This gives the patient an additional form of analgesia, limited to the operative site, which is helpful in a multimodal pain management program. Both continuous flow and intermittent bolus self-administration systems are effective and their patient ratings are indistinguishable.