Choice of a Perioperative Analgesia Mode during Hip Joint Replacement

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the efficiency and safety of various perioperative analgesia modes during total hip joint replacement (THR). Subjects and methods. A randomized controlled trial enrolled 90 patients who were divided into 3 groups according to the choice of a perioperative analgesia mode on day 1: general sevofluorane anesthesia, by switching to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with fentanyl (PCA, GA group), a combination of general and spinal bupiva-caine anesthesia, by switching to PCA with fentanyl (SA group), a combination of general and epidural ropivacaine anesthesia with continuous postoperative epidural ropivacaine infusion (EA group). All the patients received non-opi-oid analgesics after surgery. Results. Prolonged epidural block ensures better postoperative analgesia at rest and during mobilization and a less need for opioids than other analgesia modes (p<0.05). With neuroaxial block, the preoperative need for sympatomimetics is much higher than that in the GA group (p<0.05). There is also a trend toward a higher incidence of cardiac arrhythmias and postoperative nausea and vomiting in the SA and EA groups. There are no differences in the frequency of hemotransfusion and postoperative complications and the length of hospital stay. Conclusion. Prolonged epidural block provides excellent perioperative analgesia during THR, but the risk-benefit ratio needs to be carefully assessed when an analgesia mode is chosen.