Glucocorticoid-Enhanced Fascial Plane and Peripheral Nerve Blocks Versus Periarticular and Local Infiltration Analgesia in Total Hip Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare an anterior quadratus lumborum block (aQLB) plus a lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block (LFCNB) with periarticular and local infiltration analgesia (PALIA) in total hip arthroplasty (THA), with both modalities using dual glucocorticoids: hydrophilic dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DEX) and lipophilic methylprednisolone acetate (MPA). METHODS: A total of 192 patients were randomized to either PALIA or aQLB+LFCNB and received 60 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine, 10 mg of DEX, and 80 mg of MPA. The mean age of the 188 included patients was 61 years, 46% were male, 96% were non-Hispanic, and 82% were White. The primary outcome was opioid consumption, measured as oral morphine milligram equivalents (oMME), on postoperative day (POD) 1. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption on POD 2, fasting serum glucose, white blood-cell count, Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) pain severity and interference, and functional recovery measures, including Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AMPAC) and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores, from POD 0 to 1 year. RESULTS: Ninety-three patients in the aQLB+LFCNB group and 95 patients in the PALIA group were included in the final analysis. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome, oMME on POD 1, between the aQLB+LFCNB group (median, 29.84 [interquartile range (IQR): 17.72, 38.75]) and the PALIA group (median, 30.50 [IQR: 18.00, 42.00]) (p = 0.57). Except for fasting serum glucose on POD 1, which was lower in the aQLB+LFCNB group (median, 141.50 [IQR: 124.50, 163.50] mg/dL) than in the PALIA group (median, 153.00 [IQR 139.00, 180.00] mg/dL) (p = 0.003), no significant differences were observed in any of the other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received aQLB+LFCNB with dual glucocorticoids and those who received PALIA with dual glucocorticoids demonstrated no significant differences in daily opioid consumption, pain score, or functional recovery following THA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level II . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.