Abstracts and Highlight Papers of the 34th Annual European Society of Regional Anaesthesia & Pain Therapy (ESRA) Congress 2015

Comparison of two methods of continuous femoral nerve block with elastomeric pump after total knee arthroplasty

“…Regional anesthesia inhibits inflammation in the knee joint, thus reducing local edema and hyperthermia. Anti-inflammatory effects improve the joint function and increase the possibility of mobility in the conditions of adequate analgesia [7]. The study demonstrated a difference between the groups in the distance covered as well as the degree of flexion in the knee joint on days 1, 2, 3 and 4 after the surgery.…”

“…The study did not demonstrate an advantage of continuous infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine over the group without CFNB. As the number of TKA procedures performed worldwide over the past few decades is growing, there is considerable interest of anesthesiologists and clinicians in the patient's condition during the postoperative period following TKA [7]. There is an ongoing search for an adequate method of pain management after TKA [8,9].…”

“…Similar rates of infusion, as well as boluses or lockout time, are recommended by many authors that bring up the topic of CFNB [3,10,11]. Increased satisfaction in patients using PCRA may result from reduced use of opioids, which are characterized by a high incidence of adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, and itchiness [7]. Elastomeric pumps are more widely used in a one-day surgery ambulatory setting [16].…”

“…The study has also demonstrated a more beneficial effect on functional results when using a bolus with basal infusion compared to using a only continuous infusion. According to Galitzine [7], when assessing the effect of CPNB on the outcome, it is not only the postoperative pain that should be considered. Regional anesthesia inhibits inflammation in the knee joint, thus reducing local edema and hyperthermia.…”