Elective unilateral total knee replacement using continuous femoral nerve blockade versus conventional patient-controlled analgesia: perioperative patient management based on a multidisciplinary pathway.

OBJECTIVES. To evaluate the effectiveness of our new multidisciplinary pathway for total knee replacement patients and compare outcomes after continuous femoral nerve blockade versus conventional patient-controlled analgesia for postoperative pain. DESIGN. Randomised controlled trial in a routine clinical setting. SETTING. Acute orthopaedic wards and operating theatres, Yan Chai Hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS. Sixty patients underwent elective unilateral total knee replacement under spinal anaesthesia from May 2009 to September 2011 and were randomly assigned to continuous femoral nerve blockade or conventional patient-controlled analgesia (30 patients in each group). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Quality of pain control was evaluated by pain scores at rest and during mobilisation, opioid consumption, frequency of side-effects, and patient satisfaction score. Rehabilitation progress was assessed according to the day of first starting weight-bearing exercise, day of independent walking in the ward with aid, Timed Up and Go test, and time elapsing till discharge. Surgical outcome was assessed by the Knee Society score 6 months after discharge, re-admissions, and occurrence of complications. RESULTS. Patients having continuous femoral nerve blockade tended to have less pain on movement and achieved earlier mobilisation than those having patient-controlled analgesia. The former group consumed less opioids, had fewer side-effects, and were more satisfied with their postoperative analgesia. Both groups showed an equally high degree of satisfaction with the new management pathway. Hospital stays, surgical outcomes, and frequency of complications were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION. Continuous femoral nerve blockade proved to be a feasible and better alternative mode of postoperative analgesia than our conventional patient-controlled analgesia. Our new multidisciplinary management pathway and multimodal analgesic regimen featuring the continuous femoral nerve blockade appeared beneficial to patients and effective in our clinical setting.