Riassunto dello studio

90 patients scheduled for a hip arthroplasty procedure were randomized to receive an iliopsoas plane block (n=45) or a femoral nerve block (n=45). The primary outcome of interest was pain scores on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) with the hip in flexion at 4 hours. Secondary outcomes of interest included pain scores at rest and during flexion, quadriceps strength, opioid consumption, patient satisfaction, first time out of bed, and the incidence of complications. Follow-up was conducted up to 48 hours post-operation. The iliopsoas plane block provided comparable levels of pain relief as measured by VAS pain scores at rest and during flexion at all time-points. Patient satisfaction, opioid consumption, and the incidence of adverse events were also similar between groups. The iliopsoas group demonstrated significantly greater quadriceps strength and an earlier first time out of bed compared to the femoral nerve block group.