• Francesca Gargano, Sabrina Migliorelli, Giuseppe Pascarella, Fabio Costa, Alessandro Strumia, Alice Bellezze, Alessandro Ruggiero, and Massimiliano Carassiti.
• Unit of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital, Rome, Italy.
• Minerva Anestesiol. 2024 Dec 10.

BackgroundLocoregional anesthesia is commonly used in orthopedic trauma surgery, particularly in elderly patients. We conducted a prospective, monocentric, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the anesthetic and analgesic efficacy of pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block in patients on antithrombotic drugs undergoing hip fracture surgery, comparing it with femoral and obturator nerve block (FNB+ONB).MethodsForty patients were randomly allocated to receive a PENG block or FNB and ONB, both combined with wound infiltration (WI). The main outcome was pain, assessed using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) 30 minutes after the block, in Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and in the postoperative 6, 12 and 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included intra and postoperative analgesic requirement, need to increase the level of sedation and postoperative complications.ResultsWe observed, except for 12 hours post-surgery, higher NRS values for PENG group compared to FNB + ONB group, with a median (IQR) NRS of 3 (2-4) vs. 2 (1-3.25) 30 minutes after the block, 1.5 (0-3.25) vs. 0 (0-1.25) at PACU, 1.5 (0-2) vs. 1 (0-2.25) at 6 hours, 1.5 (0-2) vs. 2 (1-2) at 12 hours, and 2 (0-2) vs. 1.5 (0-2) at 24 hours. Despite this, no result was statistically significant; all P>0.05. No differences were observed as regards other secondary outcomes.ConclusionsOur results suggest that PENG block is not inferior to FNB + ONB as anesthetic and analgesic technique in patients on antithrombotic drugs undergoing hip fracture surgery.

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