Does Addition of a Longer Acting Local Anesthetic Improve Postoperative Pain After Carpal Tunnel Release? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: Carpal tunnel release (CTR) is a simple and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome in patients who have failed nonsurgical management. This surgery is often performed in the ambulatory clinic under local anesthesia, with lidocaine, a short-acting agent. Few studies have investigated the use of longer acting agents, such as bupivacaine, for outpatient CTR.