Korean J Pain.  2009 Dec;22(3):234-240. 10.3344/kjp.2009.22.3.234.

Effect of Single-injection Femoral Nerve Block Using Real-time Ultrasound on the Postoperative Pain after Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: 0.25% vs 0.5% Levobupivacaine

• Kim YJ
• Kim YJ
• Kim DY

• KMID: 1978699
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2009.22.3.234

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the analgesic effect of 0.25% and 0.5% levobupivacaine for real time ultrasound guided single-injection femoral nerve block for the patients who are undergoing bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
METHODS
Femoral nerve block was done to all patients with 20 ml of 0.9% normal saline on one leg and 20 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine on the other leg for group I (n = 16) and 0.5% levobupivacaine for group II (n = 15) with 1 : 200,000 epinephrine and using real-time ultrasound and a nerve stimulator. The data concerning the verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) for each leg, the consumption of the intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) and the demands for the additional analgesics was collected at 0, 1, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after the operation.
RESULTS
The legs on which femoral nerve block was done with levobupivacaine showed a lower VNRS score than the legs with normal saline in either group I or group II. The VNRS scores between the two legs, the consumption of the IV PCA and the demand for additional analgesics showed no significant differences between the groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrate that single-injection femoral nerve block using real-time ultrasound with either 0.25% levobupivacaine or 0.5% levobupivacaine 20 ml provides a good effect for the postoperative pain control after TKA.

Keyword

femoral nerve block; levobupivacaine; total knee arthroplasty; ultrasound

MeSH Terms

Analgesia, Patient-Controlled
Analgesics
Arthroplasty
Bupivacaine
Epinephrine
Femoral Nerve
Humans
Knee
Leg
Pain, Postoperative
Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis
Analgesics
Bupivacaine
Epinephrine