Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Positioning for spinal anaesthesia is challenging in patients with femur/hip fractures as it causes severe pain/distress. Peripheral nerve blocks are safe adjuncts without side-effects of systemic analgesics. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy between bupivacaine and ropivacaine in ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) for positioning of spinal anaesthesia. METHODS: 70 patients( 35 in each group) of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical class I-III, either sex, aged between 18-70 years, posted for proximal femur surgeries were randomly allocated in two groups. All patients in group B received 30ml of 0.25%bupivacaine and in groupR 30ml of 0.25%ropivacaine was administered for FICB.. Onset of sensory block was noted every two minutes using pinprick method. Fifteen minutes later spinal anaesthesia was performed with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine in sitting position. Analgesia during positioning was assessed. The quality of patient positioning for spinal anaesthesia was recorded. Vitals were monitored before(baseline) and after block for every 5minutes until 15minutes. The time for first rescue analgesic request and 24h opioid consumption was noted. RESULTS: Mean onset of FICB in group B was 6.17±1.403 minutes and group R was 10.51±1.772 minutes which was statistically significant (p value <0.001). There was no significant difference in visual analogue scale(VAS) during positioning and quality of positioning in both groups. Time to first rescue analgesia in group B was 409.71±85.146 minutes and groupR was 445.71±77.736 minutes (p value 0.0069) but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in 24hour opioid consumption among the two groups. CONCLUSION: FICB provides analgesia which helps in positioning of the patient for spinal anaesthesia with bupivacaine having faster onset of action compared to ropivacaine but provides comparable duration of analgesia and 24 hour opioid consumption.