Ultrasound Guided Pain Control Versus Standard Treatment in Emergency Department HIP Fracture Patients
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2010-08-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Hip Fracture (HFx) is a painful injury that is often treated in the Emergency Department (ED)
with intravenous opiates. However, this class of medications may cause deleterious side
effects. An alternative analgesic approach involves regional anesthesia. The investigators
attempted to determine (1) whether ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks (UPNBs) could be
safely performed in an ED setting, (2) whether UPNBs would be more effective than standard
treatment in controlling pain from HFx and (3) which of two UPNBs was superior for pain
relief.
A convenience sample of patients with an isolated HFx and a pain score > 5/10 were enrolled
and randomized to one of three arms: (1) Ultrasound guided 3-in-1 femoral nerve block (UFNB),
(2) Ultrasound guided fascia iliaca compartment block (UFIB), or (3) IVMS. Patients indicated
their pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (extreme pain).