Tramadol added to bupivacaine does not prolong analgesia of continuous psoas compartment block.

Author(s): Kumar M, Batra YK, Panda NB, Rajeev S, Nagi ON

Affiliation(s): Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Publication date & source: 2009-01, Pain Pract., 9(1):43-50. Epub 2008 Sep 9.

Publication type: Randomized Controlled Trial

The primary aim of our study was to evaluate the quality and duration of analgesia when tramadol was added to 0.25% bupivacaine for continuous psoas compartment block (CPCB) using visual analog pain scores. Thirty patients were prospectively randomized into two equal groups (n = 15). Visual analog scale pain score was not significantly different between the groups during the 48-hour follow-up period. Rescue analgesic consumption, nausea and vomiting, and the satisfaction scores were comparable between the groups (P > 0.05). Success with catheter placement adjacent to the lumbar plexus was 100%, and none of the patients developed any catheter-related complications. In conclusion, tramadol does not provide a clinically significant analgesic action as an adjunct to 0.25% bupivacaine for CPCB.