Suprainguinal Fascia Iliaca Block With vs Without Dexmedetomidine

Summary

The investigators are evaluating postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing hip replacement surgery performed with either spinal or general anesthesia, who also receive a suprainguinal fascia iliaca block using either perineural ropivacaine alone or ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine.

Detailed Description

Patients undergoing hip replacement surgery often receive a single-shot suprainguinal fascia iliaca block as a part of the primary anesthetic and multimodal postoperative analgesic strategy. However, the analgesic effect of a single-shot block typically diminishes after several hours and may be inconsistent beyond 24 hours. Adding dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 agonist, to the local anesthetic has been shown to prolong block duration and reduce postoperative opioid requirements. Investigating its use in suprainguinal fascia iliaca blocks for total hip arthroplasty may clarify its clinical effectiveness. The investigators hypothesize that patients receiving ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine will have a significantly longer time to first analgesic request compared to those receiving ropivacaine alone.

Eligibility Criteria

Interventions