To compare the effectiveness of continuous regional anaesthesia with standard pain management strategies for the treatment of acute pain in patients with war-related lower limb trauma.
War-related lower limb trauma represents one of the most frequent and severe injury patterns in modern armed conflicts. Blast injuries, gunshot wounds, and complex soft-tissue damage often result in severe acute pain requiring repeated surgical procedures, prolonged hospitalization, and intensive rehabilitation. Adequate pain management in this population is critical not only for immediate patient comfort but also for facilitating wound care, early mobilization, rehabilitation participation, and potentially reducing the risk of long-term pain syndromes. Continuous regional anaesthesia (CRA), delivered through ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve catheters, allows prolonged targeted analgesia by continuous infusion of local anesthetics. Compared with systemic analgesia or single-shot regional blocks, CRA may provide superior and sustained pain control, reduce opioid exposure, and improve rehabilitation tolerance. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of continuous regional anaesthesia in war-related lower limb trauma remains limited, particularly in real-world trauma settings involving blast injuries and multi-stage reconstructive surgery. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of continuous regional anaesthesia compared with standard analgesic strategies in patients with war-related lower limb trauma.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
150
Superhumans War Trauma Center
Lviv, Ukraine
Pain intensity measured by Numeric Rating Scale (NRS 0-10) during the first 72 hours after initiation of analgesic treatment.
Pain scores will be recorded: at rest during movement during wound care or dressing changes.
Time frame: Pain intensity will be assessed at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after initiation of analgesia.
Total opioid consumption during first 72 hours, expressed as morphine milligram equivalents (MME).
Total opioid consumption will be recorded during the first 72 hours after initiation of analgesic treatment. All administered opioids will be converted to morphine milligram equivalents (MME) using standard opioid conversion factors to allow comparison between treatment groups. The cumulative opioid dose will be calculated for each patient and analyzed as a measure of opioid requirement during the acute post-traumatic period.
Time frame: Cumulative opioid consumption during the first 72 hours after initiation of analgesic therapy.
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