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Analgesic Efficacy of Preemptive Stepwise Infiltration Anesthesia for Perioperative Analgesia After TKA

Analgesic Efficacy of Preemptive Stepwise Infiltration Anesthesia for Perioperative Analgesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty: a Prospective Double-blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06600815
Enrollment
110
Registered
2024-09-19
Start date
2024-09-30
Completion date
2025-12-31
Last updated
2024-10-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pain Management, Total Knee Arthroplasty

Keywords

Total knee arthroplasty, Pain management, Anaesthesia in orthopaedics

Brief summary

This is a single-center prospective cohort study in which patients were evaluated by inclusion and exclusion criteria before total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Eligible patients will be included in this study after signing the informed consent form. Before TKA, the patients will be randomly assigned to either a preemptive stepwise infiltration anaesthesia (PSIA) group or a postoperative local infiltration analgesia (PLIA) group and administered different pain management protocols during surgery. Clinical evaluation will be conducted at baseline, before surgery, and at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively, as well as during follow-up visits at 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. All patients voluntarily participated in the study and signed informed consent. During the treatment period, all prospective patients underwent clinical evaluation at the end of total knee arthroplasty and 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 weeks later, aimed at comparing the postoperative pain and inflammatory response between PSIA and PLIA, to explore the optimal perioperative analgesic modality for TKA.

Detailed description

This is a single-center prospective cohort study in which patients were evaluated by inclusion and exclusion criteria before total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study aims to recruit 110 patients across a single centre over 1 year. Eligible patients will be included in this study after signing the informed consent form. Before TKA, the patients will be randomly assigned to either a preemptive stepwise infiltration anaesthesia (PSIA) group or a postoperative local infiltration analgesia (PLIA) group and administered different pain management protocols during surgery. Clinical evaluation will be conducted at baseline, before surgery, and at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively, as well as during follow-up visits at 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. The primary outcomes are the amount of morphine consumed within 0-24 hours postsurgery and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score postsurgery. Secondary outcomes include the time to first rescue analgesia, total morphine consumption during hospitalization, postoperative joint function (measured by the Hospital for Special Surgery \[HSS\] score and knee joint range of motion \[ROM\]), intraoperative bleeding and serological indicators. All patients voluntarily participated in the study and signed informed consent. During the treatment period, all prospective patients underwent clinical evaluation at the end of total knee arthroplasty and 6h, 12h, 24h, 48h, 72h, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months later, aimed at comparing the postoperative pain and inflammatory response between PSIA and PLIA, to explore the optimal perioperative analgesic modality for TKA. Statistical analyses utilizing regression models and survival analysis will be conducted to assess the relationships between the pain management method and postoperative pain and efficacy.

Interventions

PROCEDUREpreemptive stepwise infiltration anaesthesia(PSIA)

For PSIA patients, the anaesthetic is administered in stages. Initially, CA is injected at the incision site before the medial parapatellar incision. Following skin incision, more CA is injected into the subcutaneous tissue. After exposing the fascial layer and joint capsule, CA is used around the patellar tendon, and then CB is injected into the joint capsule and surrounding muscles. Additional CB is applied to the synovium and soft tissues after the joint cavity is opened, and more is used in the posterior joint capsule after bone resection.

PROCEDUREpostoperative local infiltration analgesia(PLIA)

Before standardized TKA and implantation of the prosthesis, 30-40 mL of CB will be used to infiltrate the synovium and whole joint capsule. Subsequently, the joint cavity, subcutaneous tissue, and skin will be closed layer by layer using routine procedures. After the skin is closed, 30-40 mL of CA will be injected into the skin and subcutaneous tissue.

Sponsors

First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

The researchers, outcome assessors and statisticians will be blinded to the group assignments and will not be involved in the trial operations. The patients will also be blinded to the group assignments. Due to the impossibility of blinding the surgeons, they will not be involved in any outcome assessments. Allocation results will be placed in sealed envelopes before the surgery. The envelopes will be opened prior to surgery after the administration of general anaesthesia.

Intervention model description

The trial employs a random allocation method. A randomization table will be generated using SPSS 26.0 software. Treatment groups will be selected based on patients' random numbers, ensuring that this clinical institution stratifies the subjects into a PSIA group and a PLIA group at a 1:1 ratio.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

Patients must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for inclusion: 1. Clinical diagnosis of primary unilateral knee osteoarthritis (KOA), confirmed by imaging as KOA (Kellgren-Lawrence score ≥2). The patient was scheduled for initial unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at our hospital. 2. Preoperative American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) score ranging from 1 to 3. Surgeons deemed the patient eligible for TKA based on the evaluation criteria. 3. Participants aged 18 years or older, both male and female. 4. Ability to provide informed consent and sign a written informed consent form. 5. The ability to comprehend the research requirements and willingness to cooperate with the study instructions.

Exclusion criteria

Patients will be excluded if they meet any of the following criteria: 1. Previous knee surgery on the operative knee or a history of infection in the operative knee. 2. Patients diagnosed with conditions other than osteoarthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic arthritis, septic arthritis and haemophilic arthritis). 3. Severe osteoarthritis (including flexion contracture \>30° or varus/valgus deformity \>30° and the use of unconventional arthroplasty components due to complex joint pathology \[e.g., restrictive prostheses\]). 4. Allergy to the investigational drug. 5. The presence of neuromuscular dysfunction on the operative side. 6. Dependence on anaesthesia drugs (defined as the use of opioid or local anaesthetic drugs exceeding 100 mg of morphine equivalents per week to control preoperative pain for more than 3 months). 7. Poor overall health conditions, including but not limited to a glycated haemoglobin level exceeding 12%; blood pressure exceeding 170/110 mmHg; myocardial infarction, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, acute congestive heart failure, or any acute coronary events within the past 6 months; severe hepatic or renal dysfunction; and pregnancy or lactation. 8. Concurrent participation in clinical trials other than this trial.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Postoperative morphine consumption within the first 24 hoursthe first 24 hours after TKAPostoperative morphine consumption within the first 24 hours includes both routine analgesia and rescue analgesia, which will be converted to oral morphine equivalents (OMEs)
. Postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months after TKAVAS scores are the most commonly used indicator for assessing the intensity of patient pain (15). The scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 represents the most severe pain that is unbearable. Patients will rate their pain based on subjective perceptions. In this trial, VAS scores will be recorded once before TKA. The VAS scores will be assessed separately for the resting and flexion states. If the patient's hospitalization period is shorter than 72 hours, the VAS score at discharge will be recorded instead of that at 72 hours. Studies have shown that some patients still experience joint pain six months after TKA. The VAS scores of patients at 6 months after TKA will be evaluated. A VAS score of 4 or above is defined as chronic persistent pain after TKA. The results will be used to evaluate whether PSIA can reduce pain after TKA.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Direct intraoperative bleeding24 hours postoperativelyIntraoperative bleeding will be recorded directly by anesthesiologists (mL).
Complete blood count72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyA complete blood count (CBC) can reflect the patient's postoperative inflammatory status. It measures various components of the blood, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, which can indicate the presence of inflammation or infection. An elevated white blood cell count, for example, is often associated with an inflammatory response.
C-reactive protein (CRP)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyC-reactive protein (CRP) can reflect the patient's postoperative inflammatory status.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyErythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) can reflect the patient's postoperative inflammatory status.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyInterleukin-6 (IL-6) can reflect the patient's postoperative inflammatory status.
Total bilirubin (TB)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyTotal bilirubin will be used to evaluate the impacts of surgical trauma and medications on patients.
Derect bilirubin (DB)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyDerect bilirubin will be used to evaluate the impacts of surgical trauma and medications on patients.
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyAspartate aminotransferase will be used to evaluate the impacts of surgical trauma and medications on patients.
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyAlanine aminotransferase will be used to evaluate the impacts of surgical trauma and medications on patients.
Creatinine (Cr)72 hours, 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyCreatinine will be used to evaluate the impacts of surgical trauma and medications on patients.
Postoperative time to first rescue analgesiaup to 3 daysRescue analgesia will be initiated when the patient reports local knee joint pain on the operative side with a VAS score \> 4. The specific steps will be implemented as described previously. The time to rescue analgesia will be recorded.
Total morphine consumption during hospitalizationthrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsIt will be converted to total morphine equivalents and will include both the postoperative routine pain management regimen and rescue analgesia.
The Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score (HSS)3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyThe Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score (HSS) is a patient-reported questionnaire specific to the knee joint, with a total score of 100 points. It comprises six scoring components: pain (30 points), function (22 points), range of motion (18 points), muscle strength (10 points), knee deformity (10 points) and stability (10 points). Additional points are deducted for the use of assistive devices, extension lag and varus deformity: up to 3 points for assistive device use, up to 5 points for extension lag and 1 point deducted for every 5 degrees of varus deformity. The scores are classified as follows: ≥ 85 as Excellent, 70-84 as Good, 60-69 as Fair, and \< 60 as Poor. The HSS score is widely praised for its perceived ease of use and quick recording and has been shown to be an effective and reliable measure for assessing the efficacy of TKA.
Range of motion (ROM)3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months postoperativelyThe range of motion (ROM) will be measured with a protractor thrice daily at 6-hour intervals, and the best value on each day will be used in the analysis. The range of motion (ROM) is from 0 to 180 degrees. The larger the angle, the more satisfactory the recovery of joint function.
Indirect intraoperative bleeding24 hours postoperativelyIntraoperative bleeding will be estimated by subtracting the preoperative hemoglobin level from the hemoglobin level measured 24 hours postoperatively.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
BMIthrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsWeight (kg) and height (m) will be combined to report BMI in kg/m\^2, which will be obtained from the electronic medical records system. This information will be collected by the same evaluator and used to calculate the age-corrected Charlson Comorbidity Index (aCCI), baseline ROM, HSS score and VAS score for these patients.
Time of operationthrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsInpatient data will include the operative time and time to discharge. These inpatient data will be sourced from the electronic medical records system and used to evaluate the impacts of PSIA and PLIA on the surgical process and postoperative recovery.
Operative timethrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsOperative time will be sourced from the electronic medical records system and used to evaluate the impacts of PSIA and PLIA on the surgical process and postoperative recovery.
Time to dischargethrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsTime to discharge will be sourced from the electronic medical records system and used to evaluate the impacts of PSIA and PLIA on the surgical process and postoperative recovery.
Incidence of Adverse events (AEs)through study completion, an average of 6 monthsAdverse events (AEs) are adverse medical events that occur in clinical trial subjects after receiving treatment. In this study, total AEs will be mainly categorized into local AEs and systemic AEs. Local AEs include but are not limited to prolonged wound drainage (wound drainage persists on postoperative day 3, and the drainage area of the wound dressing is greater than 2×2 cm , poor wound healing and prosthetic joint infection. Systemic AEs include but are not limited to deep vein thrombosis events, systemic infection and serious adverse events such as pulmonary embolism and death.
Likert scorethrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsWe will use a Likert scale to evaluate participants satisfaction with each treatment phase at each assessment. This scale consists of 5 levels (very dissatisfied, dissatisfied, neutral, satisfied and very satisfied) from 1 to 5. After the final follow-up, the total score on the Likert scale for each participant will represent their overall satisfaction to date. The larger the score, the more satisfactory with the participants.
Sexthrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsSex (male or female) will be obtained from the electronic medical records system.
Agethrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsAge in years will be obtained from the electronic medical records system.
Operative sitethrough study completion, an average of 6 monthsOperative site (left or right) will be obtained from the electronic medical records system.

Countries

China

Contacts

Primary ContactXinyu Fang, MD
9738006@qq.com18084768503 Ext. 86

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026