What do we know about the PENG block for hip surgery? A narrative review

Abstract

Postoperative pain management in hip surgery is classified as severe and its inadequate control leads to complications that increase patient morbidity and mortality. The PENG block is advocated as a safe, opioid-sparing analgesic technique, which provides an adequate level of analgesia. The purpose of this study is to analyze and reflect about the efficacy, safety and therapeutic appropriateness of the PENG block in hip surgery. To this end, a narrative review is conducted using various databases such as PubMed and the Cochrane library. In all of the studies analyzed, an adequate postoperative pain control was achieved using the PENG block, with reduction in pain assessment scales and opioid consumption in the first postoperative hours. Improved results were also seen as compared with other regional blocks. There were few adverse effects and none of them was classified as severe.  The PENG block contributes with numerous advantages and few adverse effects for hip surgery. Further studies are needed on this block, whether alone or in combination with other regional techniques, so as to include it in analgesia protocols, developing a standardized approach and study the outcomes in more controlled settings.