2024 EFORT Annual Meeting: The PENG block in primary anterior total hip arthroplasty and its effect on postoperative pain and length of stay: a multidisciplinary prospective randomized double-blind controlled trial

Sixty patients with elective primary anterior total hip arthroplasty were randomized to receive either a PENG block with 0.5% ropivacaine (n=31) or a placebo injection with 0.9% NaCl (n=29). The primary outcome of interest was postoperative patient-reported pain, measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 1, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included total morphine consumption within the first 24 hours and length of hospital stay (LOS) in days. Overall, the results of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in postoperative pain or morphine consumption between the two groups. However, the study group had a significantly shorter LOS by 1.1 days compared to the control group. These findings suggest that while the PENG block may not significantly reduce postoperative pain or morphine consumption, it can effectively reduce the LOS after primary anterior THA.