The Suprainguinal Fascia Iliaca Block Prolonging Spinal Anesthesia Duration

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Regional Anesthesia
• Surgical Procedures

Background:

• Spinal anesthesia for lower limb surgery has limited duration and potential complications from high local anesthetic doses.
• Extended surgeries pose challenges for spinal anesthesia, necessitating alternative or adjunct techniques.
• Continuous spinal anesthesia and combined spinal-epidural techniques have risks like dural puncture and catheter-related issues.

Observation:

• A suprainguinal fascia iliaca block (SIFI) was administered as an adjunct to spinal anesthesia in an 81-year-old female undergoing hip surgery.
• The surgical procedure lasted approximately 5 hours, exceeding typical durations for spinal anesthesia.
• The patient experienced no complications and remained comfortable throughout the extended surgery.

Findings:

• The combination of spinal anesthesia and SIFI effectively extended the duration of regional anesthesia.
• The patient required no additional opioids and experienced no adverse effects.
• SIFI proved to be a safe anesthetic adjunct, prolonging block duration during unexpectedly long procedures.

Implications:

• Integrating SIFI with spinal anesthesia is a promising strategy to prolong anesthesia duration and improve patient outcomes.
• This approach may reduce peri-operative opioid requirements, enhancing surgical recovery.
• SIFI offers a safe and effective adjunct for peri-operative pain management in hip fracture patients, especially for extended surgeries.