Subcutaneous Lidocaine Infusion for Pain in Patients with Cancer

Intravenous lidocaine is effective in treating pain. Limited studies have assessed the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous lidocaine infusions. We conducted a retrospective review of patients with cancer who received subcutaneous lidocaine infusions for pain. Patient characteristics, pain scores and opioid doses before and after lidocaine, and details of infusions were recorded. We identified three time periods of interest. T0 is defined as the 24-hour period immediately before commencing lidocaine treatment. T1 is defined as the 24-hour period before lidocaine was ceased. T2 is defined as the first 24-hour period after lidocaine was ceased. In addition, the overall impression of the effectiveness of lidocaine was subjectively evaluated by the authors. Twenty patients (13M;7F) received lidocaine. Two patients received it twice, totaling 22 episodes. The median lidocaine dose was 0.67 mg/kg/h with the median duration being 5.5 days. The median worst pain score at T0 and T1 was 8.5 and 5.5, respectively. The difference in the mean pain scores was 3.2 95% CI (2.1, 4.4; p