Riassunto dello studio

Sixty patients scheduled for extremity surgery were randomized into receiving either a single shot of pre-operative peripheral nerve block (PNB) or control (post-operative pain control with morphine). The primary outcome was the peak pain score on a verbal numeric rating scale (NRS), which was evaluated in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Additional outcomes of interest included the following: wake-up time from anesthesia, morphine consumption, amount of rescue analgesics, Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in the plasma, incidence of adverse events, patient satisfaction, and motor and sensory blockade. Outcomes were analyzed during PACU stay, except for IL-6 levels which were measured at baseline and at 1 and 2-hours post-incision. The incidence of adverse events, patient satisfaction, and motor and sensory blockage were all evaluated up to 24 hours after operation. The results demonstrated that the peak NRS pain scores, as well as morphine consumption, wake-up time, and amount of rescue analgesics, were significantly in favour of the PNB group. IL-6 levels were found to be significantly lower in the PNB group, 2 hours post-incision. The only adverse event that was significantly different between groups was the incidence of dizziness, in favour of the PNB group. All remaining outcomes were not significantly different between the two treatment groups.