• Joo Han Oh, Ka-Young Rhee, Sae Hoon Kim, Pyung-Bok Lee, Joon-Woo Lee, and Seok Jae Lee.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea.
• Clin Orthop Surg. 2009 Mar 1;1(1):48-53.

BackgroundThis study evaluated the effectiveness of a continuous interscalene block (CISB) by comparing it with that of a single interscalene block combined with a continuous intra-bursal infusion of ropivacaine (ISB-IB) after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.MethodsPatients who had undergone CISB (CISB group; n = 25) were compared with those who had undergone ISB-IB (ISB-IB group; n = 25) for more than 48 hours after surgery. The visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, motor and/or sensory deficit, supplementary analgesics and adverse effects were recorded.ResultsThere were no significant differences between the postoperative VAS of the CISB and ISB-IB groups, except at 1 hour after surgery. Their supplementary analgesics of the two groups were similar. Transient motor weakness (52%) and sensory disturbance (40%) of the affected arm were observed in patients in the CISB group. The catheters came out accidentally in 22% of the CISB group but in only 4% of the ISB-IB group.ConclusionsISB-IB provides similar analgesia to CISB. However, the ISB-IB group had a lower incidence of neurological deficits and better catheter retention.

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