The Effect of Low-Pressure Pulmonary Recruitment Maneuver on Post-Laparoscopic Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Study Objective Postlaparoscopic shoulder pain (PLSP) is effectively reduced by a pulmonary recruitment maneuver (PRM). The goal of this study is to assess the efficacy of a PRM using maximal inspiratory pressure of 30 cm H 2 O, which is lower than previously studied pressure for reducing PLSP. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting University hospital. Patients Eighty-four patients who were undergoing elective gynecologic laparoscopy. Interventions Patients were randomly assigned to the control (n = 42) or the PRM (n = 42) group. Measurements and Main Results The primary outcome was the intensity of the shoulder pain using the visual analog scale (VAS). The VAS score of shoulder pain (median [interquartile range]) was significantly lower in the PRM group than in the control group at 24 hours (0 [0–0] vs 1.5 [0–4.0], p Conclusion The PRM with 30 cm H 2 O can be a simple method to reduce PLSP. Therefore, it would be helpful to perform the PRM with 30 cm H 2 O routinely.