Post-operative opiate requirements after hip arthroscopy.

Purpose: Although hip arthroscopy continues to evolve in its use and its popularity grows, little attention has been paid to the anaesthetic and analgesic management of patients undergoing this procedure. We aimed to report on our initial experience of the anaesthetic and analgesic requirements of a consecutive series of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy.

Methods: We reviewed the surgical and anaesthetic records of the initial, consecutive 85 patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for any reason at our hospital. Basic demographics, intra-operative findings, operative procedures, analgesic requirements in the form of opiate requirement and post-operative pain scores were reviewed.

Results: The mean intra-operative morphine dose was 7.1 mg (S.D. 3.2 mg). Thirty-nine patients (46%) required I.V. morphine at in the recovery room post-arthroscopy (mean 1.8 mg; S.D. 2.6 mg). Regression analysis showed that lower intra-operative opiate dose resulted in higher maximum VAS pain scores (P = 0.03) and rescue intravenous opiate (P < 0.001) requirement post-surgery.

Conclusions: Adequate intra-operative morphine use can minimize post-operative pain and subsequent need for rescue analgesia.