Continuous lumbar plexus block for acute postoperative pain management after open reduction and internal fixation of acetabular fractures.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of postoperative continuous lumbar plexus blocks for postoperative pain control in patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation of an acetabular fracture.

Patients/participants: Twenty-six patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation of an acetabular fracture. DESIGN/PERSPECTIVE: According to a case-control study design, patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 13) received postoperatively a continuous lumbar plexus block with 0.2% ropivacaine (10 mL/hr for 48 hours), and group 2 (n = 13) received postoperatively patient-controlled analgesia with morphine (1 mg; lock-out time, 10 minutes; total 6 mg/hr).

Main Outcome Measurements: Postoperative morphine consumption, time to unassisted ambulation, and clinical and radiographic outcomes.

Results: No significant differences in demographics, surgical procedure, or duration of surgery were reported between the two groups. The lumbar plexus catheter group showed a lower requirement for morphine in the postanesthesia care unit (6 mg [0-14 mg]) and during the first 2 days (20 mg [6-55 mg] on day 1 and 29 mg [4-56 mg] on day 2) than the control group (51 mg [20-100 mg] on day 1 and 50 mg [10-93 mg] on day 2) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.021). Effective unassisted ambulation was recovered earlier in patients with the lumbar plexus catheter (3 days; range 2-4 days) than in the control group (4 days; range 3-7 days) (P = 0.015).

Conclusions: Continuous lumbar plexus block represents an interesting alternative for postoperative pain control in patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation of an acetabular fracture.