Effect of Local Infiltration Anesthesia With Ropivacaine on Postoperative Pain After Hip Hemiarthroplasty

Effect of Local Infiltration Anesthesia With Ropivacaine on Postoperative Pain After Hip Hemiarthroplasty

At St.Olavs Hospital each year about 400 patients are treated for femoral neck fractures, 250 of them receiving hemiarthroplasty. Implementation of fast-track clinical pathways reduces morbidity and enhances recovery of patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty. One of the key prerequisites for early rehabilitation is optimized pain relief. Local infiltration anesthesia with Ropivacaine is part of a multimodal pain regimen for patients receiving hemiarthroplasty at St.Olavs Hospital, although the pain reducing effect of local Ropivacaine after hemiarthroplasty has not been investigated in clinical trials. In this study it will be investigated whether a single shot with Ropivacaine reduces acute postoperative pain and opioid requirement after hemiarthroplasty. The findings of this study will have a direct impact on patient treatment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• scheduled for hemiarthroplasty at St. Olavs Hospital
• competent and willing to give consent
• able to be mobilized in the PACU and in the trauma ward unit.

Exclusion Criteria:

• contraindications for spinal anesthesia, Dexamethasone, Dolcontin or Acetaminophene
• receiving general anesthesia
• patients operated on with an approach different to standard direct lateral surgery
• receiving osteosyntheses
• receiving femoral block less than 4 hours before surgery