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Intra-articular bupivacaine injection after THA reduces pain, meperidine use
Patients who received an intra-articular injection of bupivacaine after total hip arthroplasty experienced reduced pain and meperidine use within the first 12 hours, according to study results.
Researchers randomly assigned 100 patients undergoing unilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) to receive an intra-articular injection of 300 mg bupivacaine or normal saline after surgery. The researchers determined VAS scores on a scale of zero to 100 (VAS-100) at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours and documented the amount of meperidine used by each patient at 24, 48 and 72 hours after surgery.
During the first 12 hours postoperatively, results showed significantly lower pain scores in the study group vs. the control group, according to the researchers. The researchers also found the study group used a significantly lower dose of meperidine on the first day after surgery compared with those who received the saline injection after surgery (25 mg vs. 45 mg, respectively).
No detectable bupivacaine was present in any samples obtained at 2, 24, 48 and 72 hours after surgery in the study group. Additionally, a significantly greater number of patients in the study group had a length of hospital stay shorter than 6 days compared with the control group (95.8% vs. 47.9%), according to the researchers. – by Casey Tingle
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.