For older adults undergoing hemiarthroplasty for hip fracture, intraoperative use of liposomal bupivacaine does not improve pain scores or other relevant outcomes, compared to conventional bupivacaine, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. " Use of liposomal bupivacaine is not associated with substantially improved postoperative pain or function or with a shorter hospital course following hip hemiarthroplasty for a femoral neck fracture," according to the clinical trial report by Mitchell K.
Ng, MD, and colleagues of Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. Randomized trial of liposomal bupivacaine for hip fracture surgery Liposomal bupivacaine is a long-acting local anesthetic developed for use in relieving postoperative pain, allowing drug release over up to 72 hours. Studies have shown that liposomal bupivacaine can reduce pain after various surgical procedures, including total knee or hip arthroplasty.
Few studies have assessed its use following hip fracture surgery. The new clinical trial enrolled 50 older adults undergoing hip hemiarthroplasty for isolated intracapsular femoral neck fractures. Patients were randomly assigned to intraoperative injection of either liposomal bupivacaine or standard bupivacaine hydrochloride.
In both groups, a series of injections were made around the reconstructed joint toward the end of the procedure. Pain scores, total opioid dose, and time to.