A Comparative Study on the Effect of Femoral Nerve Block (FNB) Versus Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block (FIC) on Analgesia of Patients with Isolated Femoral Shaft Fracture Under Spinal Anesthesia

A local nerve block is used to relieve pain and improve the positioning of patients during spinal anesthesia. This study attempted to compare femoral nerve block (FNB) versus fascia iliaca compartment (FIC) block.

In this clinical trial, a total of 68 patients undergoing surgery for femoral shaft fractures were divided randomly to 2 groups of FNB and FIC. The patients’ pain was recorded by the visual analogue scale (VAS) before and during administration of femoral nerve block. Satisfaction of positioning for spinal anesthesia and duration of the procedure were also recorded in the 2 groups.

During the nerve block, the pain score of FIC was significantly lower than that of the FNB group (2.5±0.6, 3.6±0.8 and P = 0.001). During the administration of spinal anesthesia, the mean pain in the FNB group was significantly lower than that of FIC (2.7 ± 1.1, 3.4 ± 0.6 and P = 0.001). The satisfaction of patients with positioning in the FNB group was reported to be excellent by 40.7% of patients, whereas none in the FIC group reported satisfaction. The completion time of sensory block was significantly lower in the FNB group than the FIC group (P = 0.001).

The FNB seems to provide better analgesia during spinal anesthesia for the patient, even though the administration of FIC tends to be easier and less painful than the FNB. Shorter completion time of sensory and motor block in the FNB group could be indicative of the superiority of this method for providing the appropriate conditions for spinal anesthesia in an emergency setting