Document resource
Background and Aims Hip fracture surgeries are frequently accompanied by severe perioperative pain that can be managed with regional techniques such as fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) or pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block which have been noted for their noticeable analgesic efficacy. The quadratus lumborum block (QLB) is a novel plane block that provides satisfactory analgesia in some surgeries. The aim of this study is to compare the analgesic efficacy of fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) and quadratus lumborum block (QLB) in patients with acetabular fractures under Stoppa method.Methods In a double-blind, randomized, noninferiority clinical trial, the patients undergoing spinal anesthesia for acetabular fracture surgery, in Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, were randomly divided into two groups: FICB (n = 22) and QLB (n = 24). The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain intensity at different times. The dose of fentanyl required to induce the patient to sit for spinal anesthesia and the pain intensity were evaluated. Moreover, the duration of analgesia and total dose of morphine consumed in the first 24 h following surgery were evaluated.Results FICB and QLB demonstrated effective comparative postoperative analgesic profiles following acetabular fracture surgery; however, no significant differences in VAS values were observed between the two groups during the study (F (3.37, 77.43) = 22.49, P < 0.001) and (F (3.37, 77.43) = 22.49, P < 0.001). FICB experienced reduced cumulative fentanyl consumption during spinal anesthetic placement, whereas QLB had a significantly lower total morphine demand in the initial postoperative 24 h period.Conclusions In conclusion, our study described the lateral QLB and FICB as effective analgesic techniques for acetabular fracture surgery under the Stoppa approach, which exhibited an identical analgesic profile. However, large-scale clinical studies must confirm these pilot clinical data to exclude local factors that could influence the final results.