Patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty may benefit more from intra-articular catheters filled with bupivacaine than opioids, according to a study reported on Ortho SuperSite.
The research from the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital was presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual Meeting. Scientists studied 150 patients who underwent unilateral total knee arthroplasty and were randomized to receive an intra-articular catheter that continuously delivered either 0.5 percent bupivacaine or a placebo solution of 0.9 percent saline for two days following the operation. Patients receiving bupivacaine had the least pain and lowest narcotics consumption.
"The study opens up a potential new option for better pain management post-surgery for our knee replacement patients," study co-author Nittin Goyal, MD.
3 Pain Specialists on Newly Approved Neurostimulation Treatment
Tennessee Pain Management Bill Neglects Underserved Areas, CRNA Says
The research from the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital was presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual Meeting. Scientists studied 150 patients who underwent unilateral total knee arthroplasty and were randomized to receive an intra-articular catheter that continuously delivered either 0.5 percent bupivacaine or a placebo solution of 0.9 percent saline for two days following the operation. Patients receiving bupivacaine had the least pain and lowest narcotics consumption.
"The study opens up a potential new option for better pain management post-surgery for our knee replacement patients," study co-author Nittin Goyal, MD.
Related Articles on Pain Management:
Collaborating With Primary Care Physicians: Q&A With Dr. Edward Tavel of Pain Specialists of Charleston3 Pain Specialists on Newly Approved Neurostimulation Treatment
Tennessee Pain Management Bill Neglects Underserved Areas, CRNA Says