COMPARISON OF CONTINUOUS FEMORAL NERVE BLOCK AND PATIENT CONTROLLED EPIDURAL ANALGESIA AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

Background and aim Total knee prosthetic replacement causes severe postoperative pain. Various analgesic techniques have been used in pain control. Comparison of epidural and femoral nerve block is lacking, furthermore effect on chronic pain is unclear. The investigators aimed to compare the effects of epidural and femoral block on acute and chronic postoperative pain.

Methods The study was of randomized, prospective, and double-blind design and was conducted with 80 patients who had undergone total knee prosthetic replacement surgery with the insertion of a femoral nerve block or epidural block catheter to initiate postoperative analgesia. One-sided spinal anesthesia was performed in all the patients. Postoperative pain control was achieved with the administration via catheter using bupivacaine for patient-controlled analgesia. Acute postoperative pain was evaluated in the first 24 hours and chronic postoperative pain in the 1st and 3rd months following surgery. The anxiety/depression scale was used to assess anxiety and depression, the SF 12 test was used to evaluate quality of life, and the DN4 test was employed at patient visits at the 1st and 3rd months.