The Effect of Continuous Femoral Nerve Block on Pain after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the common surgical procedures in an orthopaedic ward. It is often associated with severe postoperative pain. Femoral nerve block is utilized to provide pain relief after some types of lower limb surgery, including TKA. The main purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) on post-operative pain after TKA. Methods: Forty patients requiring TKA were entered into a randomized clinical trial. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: A control group receiving intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) and the second group receiving CFNB. After operation, the severity of pain was determined utilizing visual-analogue scale (VAS) at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours, and any potential complication was recorded. Finally, the data were compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference between the 2 groups 6 and 12 hours operatively. The severity of pain was significantly lower in CFNB group at 24 (p=.042), 48 (p=.03), and 72 (p=.035) hours respectively. No complication was seen regarding any of the analgesic techniques. Conclusions: CFNB is a safe, pain relief and effective method and could be used for pain management after TKA.