Pain relief for femur fractures using Fascia Iliaca Block and IV fentanyl

TL;DR

This study compares two pain relief methods for femur fractures and finds that the Fascia Iliaca Block provides better pain control and faster anesthesia than IV fentanyl.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence that Fascia Iliaca Block is more effective than IV fentanyl for pain relief in femur fracture patients.

Findings

Fascia Iliaca Block significantly reduced pain during positioning compared to IV fentanyl.

Fascia Iliaca Block resulted in faster spinal anesthesia and longer pain relief duration.

Both methods had stable vitals and similar side effect profiles.

Abstract

Proximal femur fractures cause severe pain making spinal anesthesia positioning difficult. Therefore, it is of interest to compare
ultrasound-guided Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block (F.I.C.B) with IV fentanyl for pain relief. 100 American Society of Anesthesiologists
(ASA) I/II patients were randomly divided into two groups, receiving either Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block (30 ml 0.25% bupivacaine) or
IV fentanyl (1 mcg/kg). Visual analog scale (VAS) scores were similar at baseline but significantly lower in Fascia Iliaca Compartment
Block group during positioning (2.38 ± 0.49 vs 4.34 ± 0.72, p < 0.0001). Further, Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block also
led to faster spinal anesthesia (6.21 ± 0.86 vs 6.96 ± 0.2 min, p < 0.0001) and longer pain relief (4.72 ± 0.78
vs 2.7 ± 0.76 hrs, p < 0.0001) with stable vitals and no significant difference in side effects.