Iliac Fascia Compartment Block and Analgesic Consumption in Patients Operated on for Hip Fracture

Abstract

Background. Fractures of the proximal femur in elderly patients are a challenge for orthopedics, anesthe­sio­logy and geriatrics. Early mobilization reduces postoperative mortality among these patients. Effective anal­gesia is necessary to achieve this goal. Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of perioperative medical records of 78. patients undergoing surgical treatment of proximal femur fractures was performed. Group 1 (n=35)consisted of patients who were treated with pharmacologic analgesia only (systemic analgesics) and Group 2 (n=43) involved patients who re­ceived a preoperative fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) and pharmacologic analgesia. FICB was per­formed under ultrasound guidance, and systemic analgesics were administered according to a standardized pro­to­col. Demographics, anesthesia and operation data as well as the dosage of analgesics used on postoperative day 0 were collected for the study. Results. Patients with antecedent iliac fascia blockade required fewer analgesic interventions (3 vs. 11, p <0.0001) and showed significantly less need for analgesics than non-block patients. No complications were observed after performing FICB. Conclusion. The iliac fascia compartment block produces effective postoperative analgesia and reduces postoperative opioid consumption.