Continuous post-operative regional analgesia at home

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology and Pain Management
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Patient Recovery and Discharge Protocols

Background:

• Continuous perineural analgesia offers a promising approach for post-operative pain management.
• Early discharge protocols can potentially reduce healthcare costs and improve patient experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the early discharge of patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery with continuous perineural analgesia.
• To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction of this discharge model.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of 56 patients receiving continuous perineural analgesia (interscalene, infraclavicular, popliteal sciatic, or tibial blocks) after orthopaedic surgery.
• Patients were discharged on Day+1 with home nursing support, pain assessed via Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and satisfaction scored.
• Continuous infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine was administered via elastomeric pumps.

Main Results:

• No major incidents were reported in patients discharged early.
• Satisfactory post-operative analgesia was achieved, with high patient satisfaction scores (median 89/100).
• Hospitalization costs decreased by 27-46% depending on the surgical procedure.

Conclusions:

• Continuous post-operative perineural analgesia administered at home is a safe and effective strategy.
• This approach leads to reduced healthcare costs and high patient satisfaction.
• Early discharge is feasible and beneficial for select orthopaedic surgery patients.