Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most common orthopedic surgical procedure and is
associated with severe pain in the immediate postoperative period, thus limiting early
recovery.
Postoperative pain management in THA requires multimodal analgesia, combining drugs and
injection of a local anesthetic (LA). But, the best anesthesia strategy to provide optimal
postoperative analgesia in THA remains controversial. Opioid free anesthesia could limit the
episodes of hyperalgesia as well as tolerance and addiction to opioids.
The hypothesis of this study is that an opioid free anesthesia using dexmedetomidine could
improve analgesia after THA.
The main objective of this monocenter, prospective, randomized, triple-blind, controlled
trial is to assess the interest of opioid free anesthesia using dexmedetomidine on morphine
consumption after THA.