Intra-articular ropivacaine injection does not alleviate pain after day-case knee arthroscopy performed under spinal anaesthesia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of intra-articular ropivacaine injection on postoperative knee pain after day case arthroscopy.


METHODS
We studied one hundred outpatients in a prospective, randomized, double-blind fashion to examine the postoperative analgesic effect of intra-articular ropivacaine or saline injected into the knee joint after day-case knee arthroscopy performed under spinal anaesthesia. Patients were interviewed postoperatively with a standardized questionnaire. The postoperative pain was measured using a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS).


RESULTS
There were no statistically significant differences in the VAS scores of knee pain eight hours or more after the operation between the intra-articular ropivacaine and saline groups, and there was no significant difference in the need for postoperative pain killer.


CONCLUSIONS
This study failed to demonstrate a decrease in postoperative VAS scores at eight hours and later postoperatively when 20 ml of ropivacaine 0.5% were injected intra-articularly after day-case knee arthroscopy performed under spinal anaesthesia. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the need for postoperative pain medication between the study groups.
Santanen
U
U
The Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.
Rautoma
P
P
Luurila
H
H
Erkola
O
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000577:Amides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001182:Arthroscopy; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000077212:Ropivacaine
D000577:Amides; D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D000077212:Ropivacaine