Please state clearly the hypothesis to be tested, in lay terms.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of intravenous lidocaine infusion administered during general anesthesia in:

1. Reducing length of hospital stay following total abdominal hysterectomy;
2. Reducing postoperative analgesic requirement following total abdominal hysterectomy.

Hypothesis: The addition of an intraoperative lidocaine infusion to a balanced anesthetic technique will result in up to 50% of patients being discharged after postoperative day 2 compared with the current 21%. Also, it will result in a 30% reduction in opiod consumption during the first 48 hours following total abdominal hysterectomy.

Assumption: Patients in the intervention and control groups will be titrated to approximately equal analgesia because they will self-administer enough pain-controlling medications to make their postoperative pain experience the same.

Primary outcomes:

1. Length of hospital stay;
2. Total opioid use at 48 hours postoperatively.

Secondary outcomes. The following data will be collected and analyzed:

1. Intraoperative data: BIS scores (to control depth of anesthesia); intraoperative serum lidocaine levels; intraoperative opioid use;
2. Opioid use in the recovery room;
3. Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) morphine requirements postoperatively up to 48 hours;
4. Oral pain controlling medication use up to 48 hours postoperatively if IV PCA discontinued before 48 hours;
5. Verbal Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores in recovery room and during first 2 days post-operatively;
6. Incidence of side effects that can be attributed to local anesthetic toxicity;
7. Incidence of nausea and vomiting and anti-emetic use up to 48 hours postoperatively;
8. Time of first flatus and first bowel movement.