The AAHKS Clinical Research Award: Liposomal Bupivacaine and Periarticular Injection Are Not Superior to Single-Shot Intra-articular Injection for Pain Control in Total Knee Arthroplasty

207 patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty were randomized to postoperative analgesia with either periarticular liposomal bupivacaine, periarticular bupivacaine and morphine, or intraarticular bupivacaine and morphine. Patients were assessed postoperatively for mean pain during the hospital stay, maximum pain during the hospital stay, and mean morphine equivalents taken per 24 hours. The cost of analgesia was also assessed between groups. Results demonstrated no significant differences in analgesic outcomes between the three groups. The cost of analgesia was significantly higher with periarticular liposomal bupivacaine compared to the other two groups.