A comparison of adductor canal block before and after thigh tourniquet during knee arthroscopy: A randomized, blinded study

Abstract

Background: Adductor canal block (ACB) provides effective analgesia management after arthroscopic knee surgery. However, there is insufficient data about performing ACB before or after inflation of a thigh tourniquet. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of ACB when it is performed before and after thigh tourniquet and evaluate motor weakness. Methods: ACB was performed before the tourniquet inflation in the PreT group, it was performed after the inflation of the tourniquet in the PostT group. In the PO group, ACB was performed at the end of surgery after disinflation of the tourniquet. Results: There were no statistical differences between the groups in terms of demographic data. Opioid consumption showed no statistically significant differences (for total consumption; p = 0.5). The amount of rescue analgesia administered and patient satisfaction were also not significantly different between groups. There was no significant difference in terms of static and dynamic VAS scores between groups (for 24 hours; p = 0.3, p = 0.2 respectively). The incidence of motor block was higher in the PreT group (eight patients) than in the PostT group (no patients) and in the PO group (only one patient) (p = 0.005). Conclusions: Using a tourniquet before or after ACB may not result in any differences in terms of analgesia; however, applying a tourniquet immediately after ACB may lead to muscle weakness.