Background: Patients with fractured hips almost always have marked pain that results in unfavorable positioning for the central neuraxial block. It was revealed that regional block approaches, including suprainguinal fascia-iliaca compartment block (S-FICB) and pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block, might effectively alleviate pain in patients with hip fractures. This research aimed to evaluate the influence of S-FICB and PENG block on patients positioning during central neuraxial block and compare their analgesic efficacy.
Methods: This randomized double-blinded trial included 60 cases aged ≥ 40 years old and ASA I-III with hip fracture with persistent pain and scheduled for surgery under spinal anesthesia (SA). Cases were randomized equally into two groups. Group I (S-FICB) received ultrasound (US) guided S-FICB, and group II (PENG group) received US guided PENG. Both blocks were performed by the same operator using 23 ml of ropivacaine 0.25% + 2 ml (8 mg) of dexamethasone.
Results: The ease of spinal positioning (EOSP) score was significantly better in the PENG group than the S-FICB group (p < 0.001). Twenty minutes after blocks, the numeric rating scale (NRS) reduced significantly in PENG than in SFICB groups at rest (p < 0.015) and movement (p < 0.010). The first request for analgesia, NRS in the first 24-hour period postoperatively, and the number of tramadol doses were similar between both groups (p = 0.552) and (p < 0.370), respectively.
Conclusion: Although each block provides comparable duration of postoperative analgesia, PENG block achieved more analgesic effect and easier positioning than S-FICB for SA in patients who had hip fractures surgery.