The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new local anesthesia technique can control pain as well as the standard spinal anesthesia for adults having hip endoprosthesis surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the new local anesthesia technique as effective as standard spinal anesthesia in managing pain during the first two days after surgery? * Does the new technique allow participants to move their leg sooner after the operation? Researchers will compare the new local anesthesia technique (numbing medicine injected directly around the hip joint) to standard spinal anesthesia (a numbing injection in the back) to see if the new technique works just as well for pain control while possibly causing fewer side effects like nausea. Participants who join this study will be randomly placed into one of two groups. One group will receive the standard spinal anesthesia before their surgery. The other group will receive the new local anesthesia technique before their surgery. After the operation, researchers will track the amount of extra pain medicine each participant uses and will check their ability to move their hip, knee, and foot.
Study Rationale Standard anesthetic techniques for hip fracture surgery in the target population, which often includes fragile and elderly individuals, present distinct challenges. Both neuraxial (spinal) and general anesthesia can have a significant hemodynamic impact. Furthermore, traditional regional anesthetic techniques like lumbar plexus or femoral nerve blocks, while providing effective analgesia, often result in significant motor and sensory blockade of the lower limb, which can impede early mobilization and rehabilitation. This study investigates a motor-sparing anesthetic approach. The intervention is based on pericapsular nerve group blocks (A-PENG and PONG), anterior and posterior, which target only the sensory articular branches innervating the hip capsule. This technique, combined with local infiltration analgesia (LIA), aims to provide comprehensive surgical anesthesia and post-operative analgesia without affecting motor function, thereby facilitating immediate post-operative mobilization. Anesthetic Intervention Details (PENG 360° Arm) Participants randomized to the investigational arm will receive a combination of three injections prior to surgical incision. A convex ultrasound probe will be used for A-PENG and PONG. * Anterior A-PENG Block: An injection of 20 mL of "plain" anesthetic solution is administered into the fascial plane between the iliopsoas muscle and the hip joint capsule. This solution consists of 10 mL of 0.75% ropivacaine, 10 mL of 2% mepivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine, and 2 mg of dexamethasone. * Local Infiltration Analgesia (LIA): An injection of 20 mL of "diluted" anesthetic solution is used to infiltrate the planned incision line and subcutaneous tissue. This solution consists of 5 mL of 0.75% ropivacaine, 5 mL of 2% mepivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine, 1 mg of dexamethasone, and 10 mL of normal saline. * Posterior PONG Block: With the participant in the lateral decubitus position, an injection of 10 mL of "plain" anesthetic solution is administered into the fascial plane deep to the quadratus femoris muscle. This solution consists of 5 mL of 0.75% ropivacaine, 5 mL of 2% mepivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine, and 1 mg of dexamethasone. During surgery, participants in this arm will receive supplemental oxygen and sedation with propofol, with the depth of anesthesia monitored using a Bispectral Index (BIS) monitor. Post-operative Pain Management Protocol To ensure a standardized approach to analgesia for all participants in both study arms, a uniform post-operative pain management protocol will be implemented. Unless contraindicated, all participants will receive a fixed-dose regimen of intravenous paracetamol (1000 mg) and ketorolac (30 mg) every 8 hours. In addition, all participants will be provided with an intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump delivering morphine. The PCA pump will be set to deliver on-demand rescue boluses of 2 mg of morphine with no continuous background infusion. The maximum daily dose will be limited to 10 mg for participants over 65 years of age and 20 mg for those 65 or younger. Data Management and Randomization Participant data will be collected and managed using an electronic Case Report Form (CRF) built with Google Forms and stored in a secure cloud database (Google Sheets). All data will be pseudonymized using a unique alphanumeric identifier assigned at the time of enrollment to ensure participant confidentiality. Randomization will be performed using a dedicated Google Form configured to provide response options in a random order. The investigator will select the first option presented to assign the participant to either the "case" or "control" group19. Statistical Analysis Plan Descriptive statistics (mean, median, standard deviation, min/max) will be used to summarize the collected data. The primary endpoint (cumulative number of PCA rescue doses at 48 hours) will be analyzed using a Poisson distribution model. For other outcomes, a Chi-square test will be used for categorical variables (e.g., need for conversion to general anesthesia), while a t-test (or a non-parametric equivalent) will be used for continuous variables (e.g., NRS pain scores in the recovery room). Analysis of covariance and multiple linear regression may also be conducted to evaluate the role of demographic and clinical characteristics on study outcomes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
100
An ultrasound-guided, motor-sparing regional anesthesia procedure. It involves three distinct injections: 1) An anterior Pericapsular Nerve Group (A-PENG) block targeting the sensory articular branches of the femoral and obturator nerves. 2) A Local Infiltration Analgesia (LIA) of the surgical incision line. 3) A posterior PENG (PONG) block targeting sensory branches from the sciatic plexus. The local anesthetic mixture consists of ropivacaine, mepivacaine with epinephrine, and dexamethasone in specific volumes for each injection site.
Standard neuraxial anesthesia technique involving the injection of a local anesthetic into the subarachnoid space. The procedure is performed according to the institution's standard clinical practice. The choice of the specific local anesthetic agent, dose, and technique will be at the discretion of the attending anesthesiologist, based on the participant's clinical characteristics.
Gaetano Pini-CTO
Milan, Italy
RECRUITINGNumber of Postoperative Analgesic Rescue Doses
The cumulative number of on-demand analgesic doses (2 mg morphine bolus) requested by the participant via an intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pump. The total number of requests will be recorded from the pump's memory at 48 hours postoperatively. This is the primary measure for assessing postoperative pain control.
Time frame: From arrival in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) up to 48 hours after surgery.
Immediate Postoperative Limb Mobility
Assessment of motor function in the operated limb. A binary (Yes/No) assessment will be made of the participant's ability to actively move their hip, knee, and foot.
Time frame: Upon arrival in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), approximately 0-1 hours after surgery.
Incidence of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV)
The occurrence of any episode of nausea or vomiting as reported by the participant or observed by clinical staff will be recorded.
Time frame: Within the first 48 hours after surgery.
Postoperative Pain Intensity
Participant's self-reported pain intensity will be measured using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain imaginable.
Time frame: Upon arrival in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), approximately 0-1 hours after surgery.
Length of Hospital Stay
The total number of days from the day of surgery to the day of discharge from the hospital, which is an indirect measure of recovery.
Time frame: From the date of surgery until date of hospital discharge, assessed up to 30 days.
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