Postoperative analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound guided combined femoral - sciatic nerve block versus combined adductor canal block – I PACK block in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: A double- blind randomized study

ABSTRACT Background For successful rehabilitation and optimal functional outcomes after total knee arthroplasty surgery, patients must have effective pain control. Peripheral nerve blocks offer an excellent solution for perioperative multimodal analgesia and are advocated to reduce postoperative opioid consumption. Objectives The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of combined Femoral-Sciatic nerve block and Adductor- interspace between the popliteal artery and the capsule of the posterior knee (IPACK) block in terms of total rescue analgesia dosage and ambulation on the first postoperative day. Method This is a prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial was conducted at Ain Shams University Hospital. Sixty patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were randomly divided into two equal groups: one group received a Femoral-Sciatic nerve block, and the other received an Adductor-IPACK block. Both ultrasound-guided blocks were performed by injecting 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine immediately after anaesthesia induction. The postoperative opioid requirement in the first 24 hours was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Motor power, intraoperative fentanyl consumption, intraoperative hemodynamic changes, procedure time, surgery duration, tourniquet time, and technique complications were also recorded. Results Femoral-Sciatic group had lower opioid consumption. The Adductor-IPACK group showed a statistically significant higher Modified Bromage score. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the postoperative pain score assessed using the VAS. Conclusion Based on our study, we conclude that Femoral-Sciatic blocks required a lower dose of rescue analgesia compared to the Adductor-IPACK group. The Adductor-IPACK group also experienced lesser postoperative muscle power impairment.