Adductor canal block is superior to femoral canal block in post-operative outcome following total knee arthroplasty

Dr Rathna Paramaswamy; Dr K S Senthil; Dr Rama Selvam

Volume : VIII, Issue : I, January - 2019

Adductor canal block is superior to femoral canal block in post-operative outcome following total knee arthroplasty

Dr Rathna Paramaswamy, Dr K S Senthil, Dr Rama Selvam

Abstract :

Postoperative pain management and early recovery play an important role in the functional outcome following Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). Various multimodal measures are currently considered for pain management after total knee arthroplasty. Femoral nerve block (FNB) and Adductor canal block (ACB) provide excellent postoperative analgesia and are now commonly used analgesic modalities for total knee arthroplasty pain control. We compared the postoperative pain and functional outcome in patients undergoing TKA. Methods: 60 patients were scheduled for TKA of which 30 patients received continuous FNB and 30 patients received continuous ACB via a catheter. (20 ml of 0.5% of ropivacaine given initially followed by a continuous infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine, 4 ml/h for 48 hours). The outcome was to assess the VAS score and ambulatory distance at 6, 24, 48 hours following TKA. Results: Adductor canal block provides better ambulatory distance of 35 meters (0–80 meter) and 55 meters (0–110 meter) when compared to femoral nerve block with 8 meter (0–40 meter) and 18 meters (0–70 meter) in POD 1 & 2 respectively. Whereas VAS scores are similar between FNB and ACB. Conclusion: Adductor canal block provides early post–operative ambulation when compared to femoral nerve block following TKA without any significant difference in postoperative pain.