USG guided femoral nerve block vs fascia iliaca compartment block as post-operative analgesia in hip fracture patients

Background: Adequate postoperative analgesia facilitates early mobilization which is important to reduce postoperative morbidity. Here, we intended to compare the efficacy of two different nerve blocks for postoperative pain relief in fractured neck of femur patients.Methods: One hundred and five patients posted either for dynamic hip screw or proximal femoral nail implantation under spinal anaesthesia were randomly allocated to three groups. At the end of surgery, group 1 received femoral nerve block (FNB) and group 2 received fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) for postoperative pain relief. These blocks were ultrasound guided. Group 3 received no block and acted as control. Patients’ pain was evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) both at rest and at passive elevation of leg. Rescue analgesia was given when VAS score exceeded 3. Heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, respiratory rate and total analgesic consumption in first 24 hours were also recorded.Results: Groups 1 and 2 had similar duration of analgesia of around 8 hours (P value = 0.727). Analgesic consumption in both these groups were similar (P value = 0.648). These groups had less pain, less analgesic requirement and more stable haemodynamics as compared to group 3. No adverse effect was seen due to application of block.Conclusions: FICB can be an effective alternative to femoral nerve block, because of its relative simplicity in technique and less invasiveness. Hence FICB holds considerable promise as an effective postoperative analgesia