Improved Pain and Perioperative Outcomes After Hip Arthroscopy With the Pericapsular Nerve Group Block

Purpose: To compare early postoperative pain in patients undergoing hip arthroscopy with versus without the pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block. Methods: A retrospective chart review of prospectively collected data was performed to identify patients who underwent hip arthroscopy at a single institution between May 2019 and October 2021. Patients were included if they received general anesthesia and were opioid naive. Patients who received the PENG block were compared with patients who did not. Opioid, benzodiazepine, and antiemetic medication administration was recorded both intraoperatively and for the duration of the patient's stay in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Opioids administered were converted to morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs). Pain was assessed with a visual analog scale. Time to discharge (in minutes) and complications were recorded. Results: A total of 53 patients were identified for inclusion, of whom 28 received the PENG block and 25 did not. Opioid consumption was significantly lower in the PENG block group both intraoperatively (16.9 +/- 14.1 MMEs vs 40.6 +/- 18.3 MMEs, P <.001) and in the PACU (14.4 +/- 11.4 MMEs vs 31.2 +/- 20.1 MMEs, P <.001). The highest recorded PACU pain score was significantly greater in the no-PENG block group (7.0 +/- 1.9 vs 5.3 +/- 2.1, P=.004). Within the PENG block group, fewer patients required antiemetics (0 vs 4, P =.043). There was a greater time to discharge in the no-PENG block group (161 +/- 50 minutes vs 129 +/- 34 minutes, P =.008). No complications, including postoperative falls, were noted in either group. Conclusions: The PENG block improves perioperative outcomes by decreasing pain, opioid consumption, time to discharge, antiemetic requirements, and benzodiazepine requirements after hip arthroscopy. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative therapeutic trial.