Perioperative Analgesia for Knee Arthroplasty
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Perioperative Analgesia for Knee Arthroplasty: A prospective randomised controlled trial
IRAS ID
121525
Contact name
Andrew Sprowson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Warwick
Eudract number
2013-002439-10
ISRCTN Number
N/A
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A
Research summary
Arthritis of the knee is a common problem; it causes inability to walk without pain and a reduction in activity levels. Total knee replacements are performed for relief of this debilitating pain, and are the most common form of joint replacement performed within the NHS. Increased demand for total knee replacement, together with an ageing population has led to an annual increase in frequency of this form of replacement. The operation involves removing worn out surfaces and replacing them with implants.
Knee replacement generates substantial amounts of postoperative pain, which effects range of movement and ability to mobilise. It is important that good pain reflief is administered post operatively to enhance patient rehabilitation. Current pain relief targets large groups of nerves, paralysing areas of the body of limb. Recently, the use of injections around the knee has gained in popularity. These injections have the advantage of delivering drugs directly to the sources of pain, thereby avoiding side effects in the rest of the body. They contain different analgesics, such as local anaesthetics, opiates and non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs. Some of the theorectical advantages include reduced requirements for painkillers after the operation, and earlier mobilisation, discharge and better overall outcome following knee surgery.
We propose to perform a single centre patient based randomised controlled trial of local knee injections (peri articular infiltration) versus standard treatment (femoral nerve block) with pain as the primary outcome measure. In preparation for this study we have performed a pilot study recruiting 46 patients which has supplied us with the data required to plan this full trial.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/WM/0316
Date of REC Opinion
23 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion