• Bora Lee, Sang Jun Park, Kwan Kyu Park, Hee Jung Kim, Yong Suk Lee, and Yong Seon Choi.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Anesthesia and Pain Research Institute, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2022 Jun 1; 47 (6): 353-358.

BackgroundPain management after total knee arthroplasty is essential to improve early mobilization, rehabilitation, and recovery. Continuous adductor canal (AC) block provides postoperative analgesia while preserving quadriceps strength. However, there have been inconsistencies regarding the optimal location for continuous catheter block. We compared continuous femoral triangle, proximal AC, and distal AC blocks for postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty.MethodsPatients undergoing unilateral total knee arthroplasty were randomly assigned to three groups: femoral triangle, proximal AC, or distal AC. The surgeon performed periarticular local anesthetic infiltration. After surgery, an ultrasound-guided perineural catheter insertion procedure was performed. The primary endpoint was pain scores at rest in the morning on the first postoperative day. Secondary endpoints included pain scores at rest and during activity at other time points, quadriceps strength, and opioid consumption.ResultsNinety-five patients, 32 in the femoral triangle group, 31 in the proximal AC group, and 32 in the distal AC group, completed the study. Analysis of the primary outcome showed no significant difference in pain scores among groups. Secondary outcomes showed significantly lower pain scores at rest and during activity in the distal AC group than in the femoral triangle and proximal AC groups in the morning of the second postoperative day. Quadriceps strength and opioid consumption did not differ among groups.ConclusionsContinuous femoral triangle, proximal AC, and distal AC blocks in the setting of periarticular local anesthetic infiltration provide comparable postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty.Trial Registration NumberNCT04206150.© American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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