The effect of fascia iliaca compartment block versus gabapentin on postoperative pain and morphine consumption in femoral surgery, a prospective, randomized, double-blind study

Abstract

Background and Objective: Pain, after orthopedic surgery, is a severe and leading cause of chronic pain with many attempts to reduce it without a total success. Gabapentin is effective in reducing acute and chronic pain. Fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) is a simple, rapid, effective, and safe method of achieving excellent pain relief. The purpose of this study is to compare effect of pre-emptive gabapentin with FIC on reducing postoperative pain and morphine consumption in femoral surgery. Materials and Methods: Seventy-eight patients scheduled for elective open reduction internal fixation of femur were enrolled in the study and separated into two groups. The control group received 600 mg of gabapentin orally two hours before surgery and the case group received FICB under general anesthesia. Data, including blood pressure, heart rate, sedation score, visual analogous scale at several hours and first need to analgesic post operatively was collected. Results: The post operation pain in FICB group was significantly lower than gabapentin group (P = 0.000). Patients in FICB group had more of postoperative satisfaction and the time of first need of analgesic and total analgesic consumption was significantly lower than gabapentin group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in complications among the study groups. Conclusion: Fascia iliaca compartment block is a safe, low skill and inexpensive way to reduce postoperative pain after femur surgery in the first hours of postoperative and can be a part of multi-modal therapy with no side effects.