Adductor Canal Block Versus Femoral Nerve Block for Total Knee Arthroplasty
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2019-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Peripheral nerve blocks catheters of the femoral nerve have long been used for perioperative
analgesia in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). These blocks provide effective analgesia and
patient satisfaction for surgical pain relief. However, one of the main drawbacks to the
femoral nerve block (FNB) is a denser motor block of the quadriceps muscle that can delay
aggressive physical therapy and subsequent recovery from surgery. (1) Recently, there has
been increasing interest in performing adductor canal blocks (ACB) with the aim of less motor
blockade while providing commensurate analgesia compared to the FNB. (1,2) Current
investigative reports have provided only preliminary data, and there is potential to change
the standard of care for TKA as more data mounts in favor of ACBs. The goal of this study is
to verify the analgesic equivalence of the two blocks, compare patient satisfaction, surgeon
satisfaction, and physical therapy grading between the two blocks. Potentially, this would
change the standard of care for TKA patients at this institution.