Post-laparoscopic shoulder pain (PLSP) remains a frequent and distressing complication, affecting up to 80% of patients after minimally invasive surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials (1,504 patients) revealed that pulmonary recruitment maneuvers (PRM) significantly reduced PLSP at 12, 24, and 48 hours compared with passive abdominal compression. PRM, by facilitating CO₂ clearance from the peritoneal cavity, offered consistent pain relief without additional drugs or equipment. However, heterogeneity among studies was high, and optimal technique parameters remain undefined.
These findings suggest PRM may be a simple, cost-neutral adjunct to enhance postoperative comfort in laparoscopic surgery. Click through to the published study here How should anesthesiologists standardize PRM use in laparoscopic protocols? Should it become routine for…
