Rapid recovery after total hip arthroplasty: direct anterior approach combined with PENG block and lateral cutaneous femoral nerve block

Introduction The "gold" standard for the treatment of late stages of coxarthrosis is total hip arthroplasty. Direct anterior approach (DAA) refers to minimally invasive surgical interventions in orthopaedics. Extended anesthetic measures in combination with low-traumatic surgical techniques may reduce postoperative pain and accelerate patient's recovery. The purpose of the study was to compare the recovery times of patients after hip arthroplasty using DAA in combination with PENG block, lateral cutaneous femoral nerve (LCFN) block and without extended anesthetic measures. Materials and methods A prospective randomized comparative clinical study was performed, which involved 62 patients divided into two groups: the study one (n = 29) and the control one (n = 33). In both groups, arthroplasty was performed using DAA. Patients of the study group underwent PENG block and LCFN block. The patients in the control group did not receive extended anesthesia. The evaluation criteria were pain assessment using the visual analogue scale (VAS), administration of painkillers, patient’s mobility and the length of hospital stay. Results The VAS score for pain in the study group were lower than in the control group after 6 hours — 3.7 (3.4; 4.1) and 4.3 (4.2; 4.8); 24 hours after surgery — 3.5 (3.3; 3.6) and 4.1 (3.9; 4.5) (p < 0.001). After 48 hours, the indices were comparable: 3.5 (3.1; 4.1) and 3.7 (3.6; 3.9) (p = 0.19). The rate of requests for pain relief in the first 24 hours was lower in the study group than in the control group: 2 (1; 2) and 3 (2; 3) cases (p = 0.003). The results of the manual muscle test after 6 hours and 24 hours were comparable (p > 0.05). The time interval between the end of the operation and the first walking on crutches was shorter in the study group — 3.1 hours (2.9; 3.4) and 3.98 hours (3.8; 4.2) (p < 0.001). The length of hospital stay was shorter in the study group: 1.5 (1.2; 2) and 2.5 (2; 3) days (p < 0.001). Discussion Lower postoperative pain allows faster activation of patients, thus improving the results of the early rehabilitation period. Conclusion The use of PENG block and LCFN block in arthroplasty with the use of DAA has clinical effectiveness in the first 24 hours, and helps to accelerate the postoperative recovery of patients.