Liposomal bupivacaine reduces opioid consumption and length of stay in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty

Background:Optimising postoperative pain management after total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been associated with improved patient outcomes. However, conclusions regarding the role of liposomal bupivacaine (LB) during THA remain mixed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether substituting a standard intraoperative wound infiltrate with LB as part of a multimodal pain management protocol would decrease subsequent opioid consumption and overall length of hospital stay in patients undergoing primary THA.Methods:Data was retrospectively collected on 170 consecutive patients who underwent primary THA at a single institution from January 2014 to October 2014. Outcomes from the first 85 patients who received intraoperative LB were compared to the prior 85 patients who received a standard intraoperative “cocktail” without LB. The remainder of the multimodal pain management protocol was identical between groups.Results:Total continuous and categorical postoperative hospital opioid consumption rates in the ...