Pericapsular nerve group block results in a longer analgesic effect and shorter time to discharge than femoral nerve block in patients after hip fracture surgery: a single-center double-blinded randomized trial

OBJECTIVE: The pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block is a regional block that possibly provides better analgesia than that of the femoral nerve block (FNB) for hip fracture surgery. A randomized comparative trial performed in our institution showed that the PENG block may provide improved pain reduction compared with the FNB while preserving quadriceps strength. METHODS: In this single-center, double-blinded, randomized comparative trial, patients who underwent hip fracture surgery were randomized to receive either a FNB or PENG block for analgesia. This analysis reviews the outcomes of the block effect duration and time to discharge readiness. RESULTS: Sixty patients with similar baseline demographics were randomized. The median FNB duration was 15 hours, 35 minutes (range (hours:minutes) 4:08–30:45), and the median PENG duration was 22 hours, 50 minutes (range 6:00–32:00). The time to discharge readiness was shorter in the PENG group (3 days, range 1–14 days) than that in the FNB group (4 days, range 2–15 days). CONCLUSIONS: The PENG block results in a faster recovery and shorter time to discharge readiness. The duration of the PENG block appears to be longer than that of the FNB.