Riassunto dello studio

59 elderly patients scheduled for a total hip arthroplasty were randomized to receive a continuous pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block (n=30) or a continuous fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB). The primary outcome of interest was pain at rest and during exercise, as measured on a numerical rating scale (NRS), assessed up to 48 hours post-operation. The secondary outcomes of interest included quadriceps muscle strength, time to first ambulation, number of patient-controlled neural analgesia presses, rescue analgesia frequency, and the incidence of adverse events at 48 hours post-operation. The continuous PENG block demonstrated superiority over the continuous FICB block: the PENG group reported significantly lower pain scores during exercise, greater quadriceps muscle strength, shorter time to first ambulation, and less usage of patient-controlled neural analgesia and rescue analgesia. The results of this study suggest that a continuous PENG block can effectively control pain for those undergoing total hip arthroplasty.