Evaluation of pain relief and rehabilitation provided by per operative periarticular injection of ropivacaine among patients undergoing total knee replacement arthroplasty

Abstract

Background and Objective: Total knee arthroplasty is a frequently performed procedure that ensures improvement in quality of life. The incidence is expected to increase to upto 3.48 million procedures annually by 2030 because of the increase in geriatric population due to improved medical care. This study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of per operative periarticular injection of Ropivacaine on post-operative pain and compare the post operative outcome measures between the two groups. Material and Methods: This study was conducted in the Department Of Orthopaedics, Vivekananda Polyclinic & Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh). Fifty patients undergoing unilateral Total Knee replacement were enrolled. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional ethical committee and written informed consent was taken from all participating patients. Results: The mean age of Group A and Group B were 61.40 ± 1.45 years and 62.52 ± 1.76 years respectively. Tukey test showed significantly (p<0.001) different and lower VAS score in Group B as compared to Group A at all periods. Periarticular injection of ropivacaine has shown reduced requirement of urinary catheterization and thus helps in reducing morbidity and complications.Conclusion: Per operative periarticular injection of ropivacaine has been shown to be very successful, safe and cost effective protocol for alleviating post operative pain in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty and also leading to early rehabilitation.