Effect of local infiltration with oxytocin on hemodynamic response to surgical incision and postoperative pain in patients having open laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia.

Background: Preemptive analgesia encompasses different perioperative interventions that have the final aim of decreasing postoperative pain and improving recovery. Recently, peripheral analgesic effects of oxytocinergic modulation have been suggested. In this regard, we tested the potential analgesic effects of subcutaneous oxytocin (OT) infiltration in patients submitted to laparoscopic cholecystectomy.