The Ochsner journal
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The Ochsner journal · Jan 2017
Novel Regional Techniques for Total Knee Arthroplasty Promote Reduced Hospital Length of Stay: An Analysis of 106 Patients.
Novel regional techniques, including the adductor canal block (ACB) and the local anesthetic infiltration between the popliteal artery and capsule of the knee (IPACK) block, provide an alternative approach for controlling pain following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study compared 3 regional techniques (femoral nerve catheter [FNC] block alone, FNC block with IPACK, and ACB with IPACK) on pain scores, opioid consumption, performance during physical therapy, and hospital length of stay in patients undergoing TKA. ⋯ This study demonstrated that an IPACK block reduced opioid consumption by providing effective supplemental analgesia following TKA compared to the FNC-only technique. ACB with IPACK provided equivalent analgesia and improved physical therapy performance, allowing earlier hospital discharge.