Adductor Canal Block Versus Femoral Nerve Block for Anesthesia of Hindfoot and Ankle Surgery Prospective Randomized Trial

Category:OtherIntroduction/Purpose:Femoral nerve block (FNB) has been commonly used for anesthesia and analgesia in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery as well as sciatic nerve block. (SNB) However, its effect on motor function, related fall risk and impact on rehabilitation has been the source of controversy. Adductor canal block (ACB) potentially spares motor fibres of the femoral nerve, but the comparative effect on foot and ankle surgeries of the two approaches has not yet been well defined due to considerable variability in pain perception.The authors hypothesized that ACB, compared with FNB, would exhibit less quadriceps weakness and demonstrate noninferior pain score at surgery and at 2 to 24 hours after the operation.Methods:Sixty patients scheduled for hindfoot and ankle surgeries (arthroscopy, achilles tendon surgery, medial ankle surgery) were randomised (stratified randomization for each surgery) to receive ultrasound-guided FNB or ACB in addition to combined SNB. The primary outcome wa...