Effects of Ultrasound-Guided Continuous Pericapsular Nerve Group Block on Perioperative Analgesia in Elderly Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) in elderly patients is often associated with significant perioperative pain. This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) and pericapsular nerve group block (PENGB) in elderly patients undergoing THA.

Methods: This retrospective study included two patient groups: the PENGB group (n = 62) and the FICB group (n = 64). The primary outcome was the analgesic efficacy, assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores at multiple postoperative time points. Secondary outcomes included motor blockade, the time to first rescue analgesia, postoperative analgesia quality and systemic inflammatory responses.

Results: PENGB provided significantly superior analgesia at 6 and 12 h postoperatively, as evidenced by lower VAS pain scores compared to the FICB group. Motor blockade was also less pronounced in the PENGB group at 3 and 6 h post-surgery. The time to first rescue analgesia was significantly longer in the PENGB group, indicating more sustained pain control. Additionally, PENGB was associated with reduced use of patient-controlled analgesia pumps and lower total sufentanil consumption. At 24 h postoperatively, interleukin-6 levels were significantly lower in the PENGB group, suggesting an attenuated inflammatory response.

Conclusions: Compared to FICB, PENGB provided superior analgesia in elderly patients undergoing THA.