"Breaking New Ground In Pain Management: A Comparative Study Of Supra-Inguinal Vs. Infra-Inguinal Approaches In Ultrasound-Guided Fascia Iliaca Blocks For Proximal Femur Fracture Surgeries"

Background and Aim: Postoperative pain management is crucial in enhancing recovery and reducing complications in patients undergoing proximal femur fracture surgeries.Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block (FICB) is an effective regional anaesthesia technique for managing postoperative pain.This study compares the analgesic efficacy of the supra-inguinal and infra-inguinal approaches to ultrasound-guided FICB.Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 50 patients undergoing proximal femur fracture surgery.Patients were divided into two groups: one receiving ultrasound guided Fascia Iliaca compartment block with suprainguinal approach and the other receiving ultrasound guided Fascia Iliaca compartment block with infra-inguinal approach, each with 40 mL of 0.2% Ropivacaine and Dexmedetomidine (1 mcg/kg).Postoperative pain was assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at various intervals.Secondary outcomes included the time to first rescue analgesia, total analgesic consumption, and the incidence of side effects or complications. Results:The supra-inguinal group demonstrated significantly lower pain scores at 12 and 24 hours postoperatively.This group also required less total 24 hours analgesia and had a prolonged time to first rescue analgesia. Conclusion:The supra-inguinal approach to FICB offers superior postoperative analgesia compared to the infra-inguinal approach, and can be the preferred technique for managing postoperative pain in proximal femur fracture surgeries, as a part of multimodal analgesia.Dr. Sneha Shegokar et al. "Breaking New Ground In Pain Management: A Comparative Study Of Supra-Inguinal Vs.Infra-Inguinal Approaches In Ultrasound-Guided Fascia Iliaca Blocks For Proximal Femur Fracture Surgeries"