Total hip arthroplasty as an overnight-stay procedure using an ambulatory continuous psoas compartment nerve block: a prospective feasibility study

Ambulatory total hip and knee arthroplasty: a literature review and perioperative considerations

PURPOSE

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA), particularly for the hip and knee, is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures. The advancement/evolution of surgical and anesthesia techniques have allowed TJA to be performed on an ambulatory/same-day discharge basis. In this Continuing Professional Development module, we synthesize the perioperative evidence that may aid the development of successful ambulatory TJA pathways.

SOURCE

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for ambulatory or fast-track TJA articles. In the absence of direct evidence for the ambulatory setting, we extrapolated the evidence from the in-patient TJA literature.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Patient selection encompassing patient, medical, and social factors is fundamental for successful same-day discharge of patients following TJA. Evidence for the type of intraoperative anesthesia favours neuraxial technique for achieving same day discharge criteria and reduced perioperative complications. Availability of short-acting local anesthetic for neuraxial anesthesia would affect the anesthetic choice. Nonetheless, modern general anesthesia with multimodal analgesia and antithrombotics in a well selected population can be considered. Regional analgesia forms an integral part of the multimodal analgesia regime to reduce opioid consumption and facilitate same-day hospital discharge, reducing hospital readmission. For ambulatory total knee arthroplasty, a combination of adductor canal block with local anesthetic periarticular infiltration provided is a suitable regional analgesic regimen.

CONCLUSION

Anesthesia for TJA has evolved as such that same-day discharge will become the norm for selected patients. It is essential to establish pathways for early discharge to prevent adverse effects and readmission in this population. As more data are generated from an increased volume of ambulatory TJA, more robust evidence will emerge for the ideal anesthetic components to optimize outcomes.

Regional Catheters for Outpatient Surgery-a Comprehensive Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review summarizes and discusses the history of continuous catheter blockade (CCB), its current applications, clinical considerations, economic benefits, potential complications, patient education, and best practice techniques.

RECENT FINDINGS

Regional catheters for outpatient surgery have greatly impacted acute post-operative pain management and recovery. Prior to development, options for acute pain management were limited to the use of opioid pain medications, NSAIDS, neuropathic agents, and the like as local anesthetic duration of action is limited to 4-8 h. Moreover, delivery of opioids post-operatively has been associated with respiratory and central nervous depression, development of opioid use disorder, and many other potential adverse effects. CCB allows for faster recovery time, decreased rates of opioid abuse, and better pain control in patients post-operatively. Outpatient surgical settings continue to focus on efficiency, quality, and safety, including strategies to prevent post-operative nausea, vomiting, and pain. Regional catheters are a valuable tool and help achieve all of the well-established endpoints of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). CCB is growing in popularity with wide indications for a variety of surgeries, and has demonstrated improved patient satisfaction, outcomes, and reductions in many unwanted adverse effects in the outpatient setting.

Nerve blocks or no nerve blocks for pain control after elective hip replacement (arthroplasty) surgery in adults

BACKGROUND

It is estimated that over 300,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the USA. For European countries, the number of hip replacement procedures per 100,000 people performed in 2007 varied from less than 50 to over 250. To facilitate postoperative rehabilitation, pain must be adequately treated. Peripheral nerve blocks and neuraxial blocks have been proposed to replace or supplement systemic analgesia.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to compare the relative effects (benefits and harms) of the different nerve blocks that may be used to relieve pain after elective hip replacement in adults.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 12, 2016), MEDLINE (Ovid SP) (1946 to December Week 49, 2016), Embase (Ovid SP) (1980 to December week 49, 2016), CINAHL (EBSCO host) (1982 to 6 December 2016), ISI Web of Science (1973 to 6 December 2016), Scopus (from inception to December 2016), trials registers, and relevant web sites.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed in adults undergoing elective primary hip replacement and comparing peripheral nerve blocks to any other pain treatment modality. We applied no language or publication status restrictions.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Data were extracted independently by two review authors. We contacted study authors.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 51 RCTs with 2793 participants; of these 45 RCTs (2491 participants: peripheral nerve block = 1288; comparators = 1203) were included in meta-analyses. There are 11 ongoing studies and three awaiting classification.Compared to systemic analgesia alone, peripheral nerve blocks reduced: pain at rest on arrival in the postoperative care unit (SMD -1.12, 95% CI -1.67 to -0.56; 9 trials, 429 participants; equivalent to 3.2 on 0 to 10 scale; moderate-quality evidence); risk of acute confusional status: risk ratio (RR) 0.10 95% CI 0.02 to 0.54; 1 trial, 225 participants; number needed to treat for additional benefit (NNTB) 12, 95% CI 11 to 22; very low-quality evidence); pruritus (RR 0.16, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.70; 2 trials, 259 participants for continuous peripheral nerve blocks; NNTB 4 (95% CI 4 to 8); very low-quality evidence); hospital length of stay (SMD -0.75, 95% CI -1.02 to -0.48; very low-quality evidence; 2 trials, 249 participants; equivalent to 0.75 day). Participant satisfaction increased (SMD 0.67, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.89; low-quality evidence; 5 trials, 363 participants; equivalent to 2.4 on 0 to 10 scale). We did not find a difference for the number of participants walking on postoperative day one (very low-quality evidence). Two nerve block-related complications were reported: one local haematoma and one delayed persistent paresis.Compared to neuraxial blocks, peripheral nerve blocks reduced the risk of pruritus (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.58; 6 trials, 299 participants; moderate-quality evidence; NNTB 6 (95% CI 5 to 9). We did not find a difference for pain at rest on arrival in the postoperative care unit (moderate-quality evidence); number of nerve block-related complications (low-quality evidence); acute confusional status (very low-quality evidence); hospital length of stay (low quality-evidence); time to first walk (low-quality evidence); or participant satisfaction (high-quality evidence).We found that peripheral nerve blocks provide better pain control compared to systemic analgesia with no major differences between peripheral nerve blocks and neuraxial blocks. We also found that peripheral nerve blocks may be associated with reduced risk of postoperative acute confusional state and a modest reduction in hospital length of stay that could be meaningful in terms of cost reduction considering the increasing numbers of procedures performed annually.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Compared to systemic analgesia alone, there is moderate-quality evidence that peripheral nerve blocks reduce postoperative pain, low-quality evidence that patient satisfaction is increased and very low-quality evidence for reductions in acute confusional status, pruritus and hospital length of stay .We found moderate-quality evidence that peripheral nerve blocks reduce pruritus compared with neuraxial blocks.The 11 ongoing studies, once completed, and the three studies awaiting classification may alter the conclusions of the review once assessed.

Comparison of Continuous Femoral Nerve Block with and Without Combined Sciatic Nerve Block after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Study

In association with the growing interests in pain management, several modalities to control postoperative pain have been proposed and examined for the efficacy in the recent studies. Various modes of peripheral nerve block have been proposed and the effectiveness and safety have been examined for each of those techniques. We have described our clinical experiences, showing that continuous femoral nerve block could provide a satisfactory analgesic effect after total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedure. In this study, we compared the effectiveness and safety of continuous femoral nerve block with and without sciatic nerve blockade on pain control after THA. Forty patients scheduled for THA were included in the study and randomly divided into 2 groups. Postoperative analgesic measure was continuous femoral nerve block alone, while the identical regimen of continuous femoral nerve block was combined with sciatic nerve block. The amount of postoperative pain was evaluated in the immediate postoperative period, 6 hours, and 12 hours after surgery. Moreover, postoperative complications as well as requirement of supplemental analgesics during the initial 12 hours after surgery were reviewed in the patient record. The obtained study results showed that the supplemental sciatic nerve blockade provided no significant effect on arrival at the postoperative recovery room, while the NRS pain score was significantly reduced by the combined application of sciatic nerve blockade at 6 and 12 hours after surgery. In the investigation of postoperative analgesiarelated complications, no major complication was encountered without significant difference in complication rate between the groups.

Comparison of Continuous Femoral Nerve Block, Caudal Epidural Block, and Intravenous Patient-controlled Analgesia in Pain Control After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Study

Thirty-six patients who underwent primary unilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) were randomly allocated to 4 groups with different pain control protocols; continuous femoral nerve block (FNB group), single-shot caudal epidural block with morphine (EB group), intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with fentanyl (IV-PCA group), and systemic administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs group). Postoperative pain was assessed using the numerical rating scale (NRS) scores and the analgesic effect was compared among the groups. The NRS upon arrival at the recovery room and 6 hours after surgery in the FNB, EB, and IV-PCA groups were significantly lower than that in the NSAIDs group. The amount of additional analgesics requested by the patient was smaller in the FNB, EB, and IV-PCA groups as compared to the NSAIDs group. Regarding the complications related to the analgesia, 5 of the 9 patients in the IV-PCA group complained nausea and vomiting and received antiemetic drugs. Delay in the rehabilitation process due to drowsiness was encountered in 3 patients in this group, while no patient in the FNB and EB groups suffered from delayed rehabilitation. Considering both the analgesic effect and the potential risk of complications, continuous femoral nerve blocks and caudal epidural blocks for are recommended for postoperative pain control after THA procedure.

The role of continuous peripheral nerve blocks

A continuous peripheral nerve block (cPNB) is provided in the hospital and ambulatory setting. The most common use of CPNBs is in the peri- and postoperative period but different indications have been described like the treatment of chronic pain such as cancer-induced pain, complex regional pain syndrome or phantom limb pain. The documented benefits strongly depend on the analgesia quality and include decreasing baseline/dynamic pain, reducing additional analgesic requirements, decrease of postoperative joint inflammation and inflammatory markers, sleep disturbances and opioid-related side effects, increase of patient satisfaction and ambulation/functioning improvement, an accelerated resumption of passive joint range-of-motion, reducing time until discharge readiness, decrease in blood loss/blood transfusions, potential reduction of the incidence of postsurgical chronic pain and reduction of costs. Evidence deriving from randomized controlled trials suggests that in some situations there are also prolonged benefits of regional anesthesia after catheter removal in addition to the immediate postoperative effects. Unfortunately, there are only few data demonstrating benefits after catheter removal and the evidence of medium- or long-term improvements in health-related quality of life measures is still lacking. This review will give an overview of the advantages and adverse effects of cPNBs.

Why still in hospital after fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Length of stay (LOS) following total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA) has been reduced to about 3 days in fast-track setups with functional discharge criteria. Earlier studies have identified patient characteristics predicting LOS, but little is known about specific reasons for being hospitalized following fast-track THA and TKA.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

To determine clinical and logistical factors that keep patients in hospital for the first postoperative 24-72 hours, we performed a cohort study of consecutive, unselected patients undergoing unilateral primary THA (n = 98) or TKA (n = 109). Median length of stay was 2 days. Patients were operated with spinal anesthesia and received multimodal analgesia with paracetamol, a COX-2 inhibitor, and gabapentin-with opioid only on request. Fulfillment of functional discharge criteria was assessed twice daily and specified reasons for not allowing discharge were registered.

RESULTS

Pain, dizziness, and general weakness were the main clinical reasons for being hospitalized at 24 and 48 hours postoperatively while nausea, vomiting, confusion, and sedation delayed discharge to a minimal extent. Waiting for blood transfusion (when needed), for start of physiotherapy, and for postoperative radiographic examination delayed discharge in one fifth of the patients.

INTERPRETATION

Future efforts to enhance recovery and reduce length of stay after THA and TKA should focus on analgesia, prevention of orthostatism, and rapid recovery of muscle function.

Progressive artificial endocrine pancreas: The era of novel perioperative blood glucose control for surgery

Strict glycemic control needs to be maintained in critically ill surgical patients to reduce the mortality and morbidity due to hyperglycemia and associated infection. However, conventional intensive insulin therapy (IIT), which consists of intermittent blood glucose measurement and manually controlled infusions of insulin, tends to induce hypoglycemia and glucose variability. Many randomized clinical trials have been conducted to improve the efficacy of IIT, although some of these were stopped owing to frequent hypoglycemia. In pursuing safe and strict glycemic control for critically ill surgical patients, we found that a closed-loop glycemic control system was able to maintain appropriate blood glucose levels without hypoglycemia in more than 400 clinical cases. Considering the need for the perioperative and intensive care environment, a well-established artificial pancreas was modified into a new closed-loop glycemic control system, called the progressive artificial pancreas. The new device is slim in shape and shows clinical compatibility with the conventional artificial pancreas. We herein review this new closed-loop glycemic control system and the expectations for its future application in critically ill surgical patients.

Quality of reporting of regional anesthesia outcomes in the literature

OBJECTIVE

Consistent and reliable standards for reporting of regional anesthetic adverse events are lacking. The quality of reporting of regional anesthetic morbidity has not been assessed critically.

AIM

To evaluate quality of regional anesthesia outcomes reporting. Methods. Published retrospective or prospective observational cohort or randomized controlled trials in peer-reviewed journals were reviewed, and judged according to seven criteria related to quality of reporting of regional anesthesia complications: method of accrual, duration of data collection, definition of complication, morbidity and mortality rates, grade of complication severity, exclusion criteria, and study follow up. Differences in reporting outcomes according to study design, sample size and time period were compared.

RESULTS

Ninety-one articles published from 1996-2006 involving 8,833 patients were analyzed. The majority of studies (75%) met < or =4 reporting criteria. Recently published, prospective studies with >200 patients were associated with significantly higher-quality reporting (P < 0.05). Fewer than 50% of studies reported at least one recognized, accepted complication with defined criteria or indicated duration of follow up. Reporting compliance was worse (29%) for reporting of actual morbidity rates, and complications leading to death. Complication severity grading related to regional anesthesia was reported in 2% of studies.

CONCLUSION

Consistent and comparative regional anesthesia outcome data are lacking in peer-reviewed journals. A graded regional anesthetic morbidity and mortality system according to the intensity of therapy required for the treatment of the defined complication is proposed, along with a structured format for the reporting of regional anesthesia complications according to defined reporting standards.

Health-related quality of life after hip arthroplasty with and without an extended-duration continuous posterior lumbar plexus nerve block: a prospective, 1-year follow-up of a randomized, triple-masked, placebo-controlled study

BACKGROUND

We previously reported that extending an overnight continuous posterior lumbar plexus nerve block to 4 days after hip arthroplasty provides clear benefits during the perineural infusion in the immediate postoperative period. However, it remains unknown whether the extended infusion improves subsequent health-related quality of life.

METHODS

Patients undergoing hip arthroplasty received a posterior lumbar plexus perineural infusion of ropivacaine 0.2% from surgery until the following morning, at which time patients were randomized to continue either perineural ropivacaine (n = 24) or normal saline (n = 23) in a double-masked fashion. Patients were discharged with their catheter and a portable infusion pump, and catheters were removed on postoperative Day 4. Health-related quality of life was measured using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) Index preoperatively and then at 7 days and 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 mo after surgery. The WOMAC evaluates three dimensions of health-related quality of life, such as pain, stiffness, and physical functional disability (global score of 0-96, lower scores indicate lower levels of symptoms or physical disability). For inclusion in the primary analysis, we required a minimum of three of the six timepoints, including Day 7 and at least two of Months 3, 6, and 12.

RESULTS

The two treatment groups had similar global WOMAC scores for the mean area under the curve calculations (point estimate for the difference in mean area under the curve for the two groups [extended infusion group-overnight infusion group] = 0.8, 95% confidence interval: -5.3 to + 6.8 [-5.5% to + 7.1%]; P = 0.80) and at all individual timepoints (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This investigation found no evidence that extending an overnight continuous posterior lumbar plexus nerve block to 4 days improves (or worsens) subsequent health-related quality of life between 7 days and 12 mo after hip arthroplasty.

Regional anesthesia at home

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review the recently published peer-reviewed literature involving regional anesthesia and analgesia in patients at home.

RECENT FINDINGS

The potential benefits and risks of regional anesthesia and analgesia at home are pertinent queries, and increased data regarding these topics are rapidly becoming available. Of particular interest is the use of continuous peripheral nerve blocks at home and their potential effect upon hospitalization duration and recovery profile.

SUMMARY

Advantages of regional techniques include site-specific anesthesia and decreased postoperative opioid use. For shoulder surgeries, the interscalene block provides effective analgesia with minimal complications, whereas the impact and risks of intraarticular injections remain unclear. Perineural catheters are an analgesic option that offer improved pain relief among other benefits. They are now being used at home in both adult and pediatric populations.

Ambulatory continuous posterior lumbar plexus nerve blocks after hip arthroplasty: a dual-center, randomized, triple-masked, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The authors tested the hypotheses that after hip arthroplasty, ambulation distance is increased and the time required to reach three specific readiness-for-discharge criteria is shorter with a 4-day ambulatory continuous lumbar plexus block (cLPB) than with an overnight cLPB.

METHODS

A cLPB consisting of 0.2% ropivacaine was provided from surgery until the following morning. Patients were then randomly assigned either to continue ropivacaine or to be switched to normal saline. Primary endpoints included (1) time to attain three discharge criteria (adequate analgesia, independence from intravenous analgesics, and ambulation > or = 30 m) and (2) ambulatory distance in 6 min the afternoon after surgery. Patients were discharged with their cLPB and a portable infusion pump, and catheters were removed on the fourth postoperative day.

RESULTS

Patients given 4 days of perineural ropivacaine (n = 24) attained all three discharge criteria in a median (25th-75th percentiles) of 29 (24-45) h, compared with 51 (42-73) h for those of the control group (n = 23; estimated ratio = 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.92; P = 0.011). Patients assigned to receive ropivacaine ambulated a median of 34 (9-55) m the afternoon after surgery, compared with 20 (6-46) m for those receiving normal saline (estimated ratio = 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-3.0; P = 0.42). Three falls occurred in subjects receiving ropivacaine (13%), versus none in subjects receiving normal saline.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with an overnight cLPB, a 4-day ambulatory cLPB decreases the time to reach three predefined discharge criteria by an estimated 38% after hip arthroplasty. However, the extended infusion did not increase ambulation distance to a statistically significant degree.