Liposomal bupivacaine versus indwelling interscalene nerve block for postoperative pain control in shoulder arthroplasty: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background: Pain management strategies following shoulder arthroplasty vary significantly. Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is an extended-release delivery of a phospholipid bilayer encapsulating bupivacaine that can result in drug delivery up to 72 hours. Prior studies in lower extremity surgery demonstrated efficacy of LB in comparison to a single-shot peripheral nerve block; however, no study has investigated LB in a total shoulder arthroplasty population. Therefore, this study compared LB vs. an indwelling interscalene nerve block (IINB).

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized study of 83 consecutive shoulder arthroplasty patients; 36 patients received LB and a "bridge" of 30 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine, and 47 patients received an IINB. Postoperative visual analog scale pain levels, opiate consumption measured with oral morphine equivalents, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications were recorded. Continuous variables were compared using an analysis of variance with significance set at P < .05.

Results: Visual analog scale pain scores were statistically higher in the LB cohort immediately postoperatively in the postanesthesia care unit (7.25 vs. 1.91; P = .000) as well as for the remainder of postoperative day 0 (4.99 vs. 3.20; P = .005) but not for the remainder of admission. Opiate consumption was significantly higher among the LB cohort in the postanesthesia care unit (31.79 vs. 7.47; P = .000), on postoperative day 0 (32.64 vs. 15.04; P = .000), and for the total hospital admission (189.50 vs. 91.70, P = .000). Complication numbers and length of stay were not statistically different.

Conclusion: Use of an IINB provides superior pain management in the immediate postoperative setting as demonstrated by decreased narcotic medication consumption and lower subjective pain scores.