Comparison of Femoral Nerve Block Versus Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block for Pain Control in Traumatic Femur Fracture Repair in Pediatric Population

Pediatric orthopedic surgical procedures require a multimodal approach for anesthetic management that maximizes both patient comfort and safety.

(1) A multimodal strategy for perioperative pain management is often required for children undergoing orthopedic surgery including pharmacological methods, and regional anesthesia (R.A). (1,2) Recent guidelines published jointly by the European Society of Regional Anesthesia (ESRA) and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) recommend that regional blocks can and should preferably be performed under general anesthesia or deep sedation in children of all ages. (3,4) Many studies investigated the safety of regional pediatric nerve blocks These studies showed pediatric complication rates consistent with adult data. These complications include nerve injury, intravascular injection and local anesthetics systemic toxicity (LAST), and acute compartmental syndrome. these complications have been minimized by ultrasound-guided nerve block in pediatrics. (5) The annual incidence of pediatric femoral fractures is estimated to be 19 per 100,000. Femoral fractures are usually associated with other injuries such as intracranial hemorrhages, lung contusions, hemothorax or pneumothorax, and other organ injuries which make regional anesthesia (R.A) is preferable as a sole technique or combined with general anesthesia to decrease the overall dosage of anesthetics and opioids. (6) The most tangible advantage of RA is profound and prolonged pain relief. Alternatively, pain relief can be given by opioids which are known to cause nausea, vomiting, respiratory depression, decrease in gut motility and increase apneic spells in the population vulnerable to the same. Nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs can affect the immature renal system adversely. RA offers pain relief without changing the physiological milieu. (7) Fascia iliaca Compartment Block (FICB) has been widely used for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing hip, femoral bone, and knee surgical procedures. FICB was first introduced by Dalens et al in 1989. This regional plane block technique was used to block the femoral nerve and the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve of the thigh and the obturator nerve with a high level of safety and success, well-suited for the anterolateral surgeries of the thigh. (8,9) Femoral nerve block (FNB) has been widely used for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing hip, and femoral bone surgical procedures, it provides anesthesia and analgesia for the lateral aspect of the thigh and the femur bone.

(10,11) FICB has a wider range of anesthesia and analgesia in lower limbs compared to FNB. but the use of dilute injectate in FICB may minimize sensory and motor block than FNB. (1,16) This study will be conducted to evaluate the effects of FICB vs FNB in pain control in pediatrics undergoing femoral fracture repair surgery.