Optimizing Local Anesthetic Concentration for Continuous Femoral Nerve Blocks
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-04-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This is a randomized, observer-masked, controlled study. Subjects will be patients undergoing
bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). One side (left or right) will be randomized to one
of two treatment groups: a postoperative ropivacaine concentration of 0.1% or 0.4%. The
contralateral side will receive the other possible ropivacaine concentration of 0.1% or 0.4%.
The basal rate and patient-controlled bolus volume will depend upon the treatment group, but
the total dose of local anesthetic is the same for each. For the duration of the study, all
patients will receive the current usual and customary analgesics for bilateral TKA patients.
All patients will receive a ropivacaine perineural infusions initiated in the operating room
and continued until at least the afternoon of postoperative day (POD) 2, as well as oral
acetaminophen, a sustained-release oral opioid; and celecoxib. Rescue opioid and route of
administration will be determined by pain severity using a Numeric Rating Scale of 0-10, with
0 equal to no pain and 10 being the worst imaginable pain.