A Prospective Analysis of Preoperative Fascia Iliaca Block for Hip Arthroscopy

Overview

Patients undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery have been shown to have significant post-operative pain that may delay discharge, recovery, and early mobilisation. A pre-operative regional anesthesia technique, the fascia iliaca block may be an effective method for acute post-operative analgesia. This is a prospective, randomized controlled study of the preoperative fascia iliaca block for patients undergoing hip arthroscopy. The enrolled patients will be randomized to receive either a fascia iliaca block with the local anesthetic ropivacaine or to have a sham block. All patients will receive a general anesthetic for the hip arthroscopy.

Arthroscopic hip surgery is used to diagnose and treat interior joint pathology. Although minimally invasive in nature, patients have considerable amount of pain postoperatively, leading to prolonged recovery room stay and increased opiate requirements. The investigators performed a retrospective chart review in patients who underwent hip arthroscopy at the UCSF Orthopedic Institute. 89% of the patients had pain immediate after surgery requiring opioid therapy. Regional anesthesia has previously been shown to reduce discomfort after hip arthroscopy. However, there is currently no safe, well-established ultrasound guided regional anesthesia technique for arthroscopic hip surgery. The fascia iliaca block has shown to decrease acute pain related with hip fractures, as well as pain related with knee arthroplasty. The ultrasound guided fascia iliaca block is easy to perform and has an excellent safety record. The investigators believe that the ultrasound guided fascia iliaca block improves pain control in patients undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery. Patients will receive a sham block group or a fascia iliaca block, performed in the preoperative area. Pain scores and measurement of quadriceps strength will be assessed preoperatively and postoperatively. The patient will receive a pain diary consisting of pain scores, pain medication consumption, and a brief pain inventory. Within 48 hours postoperatively, an anesthesiologist will call the patient and review the patient's pain scores, pain medication consumption and brief pain inventory.