The pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block versus placebo for postoperative analgesia in elective total hip arthroplasty: Study protocol for a multicenter blinded randomized controlled trial

Background The pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block is a novel motor-sparing regional technique for hip analgesia. We hypothesized that in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty, the PENG block is more effective in reducing postoperative pain than placebo. Methods In this multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty received spinal anesthesia and local infiltration analgesia, along with either a PENG block or a sham block. The primary outcome was dynamic pain score (numeric rating scale 0–10) measured 3 h postoperatively on day 0. Secondary outcomes included quadriceps strength, pain scores on postoperative day 1, opioid consumption, complications, length of hospital stay, and patient-reported outcome measures. Discussion This is the protocol of our trial in which recruitment and data collection were conducted between 28 June 2021 and 8 November 2021. The results can be found in our published work. Trial registration: Ethics approval was obtained from the Southern Area Local Health Network before recruiting the first patient. This trial was prospectively registered prior to initiation on 5 December 2020; URL: https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/9147 . The study adhered to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines and its extension for reporting patient-reported outcomes.