Para-sartorial Compartment Block in Knee Surgery

November 29, 2025 updated by: Bahadir Ciftci, Medipol University

Postoperative Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound-guided Para-sartorial Compartment Block in Knee Surgery: A Randomized Study

Selective blockade of the saphenous nerve branches is among the regional anesthesia techniques in knee surgery. In this block, analgesia is provided without motor block and is an essential advantage in terms of early mobilization in the postoperative period. Blockage of motor branches causes a delay in mobilization and increases the risk of falling. The vastus medialis and its medical femoral cutaneous branch are rich in the femoral triangle. Effective postoperative analgesia is provided by a femoral triangle (triangle) blockade. The intermediate femoral cutaneous nerve courses over the sartorius muscle. Anatomically, the femoral triangle follows a separate path. When the femoral triangle and the blockade of the intermediate femoral cutaneous nerve are combined, it is called PSKB block. Parasartorial compartment block (PSKB); is based on the blockade of the branches of the saphenous nerve, the two largest sensory nerves from the femoral nerve to the knee, and is predicted to provide effective postoperative analgesia in knee arthroplasty.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Selective blockade of the saphenous nerve branches is among the regional anesthesia techniques in knee surgery. In this block, analgesia is provided without motor block and is an essential advantage in terms of early mobilization in the postoperative period. Blockage of motor branches causes a delay in mobilization and increases the risk of falling. The vastus medialis and its medical femoral cutaneous branch are rich in the femoral triangle. Effective postoperative analgesia is provided by a femoral triangle (triangle) blockade. The intermediate femoral cutaneous nerve courses over the sartorius muscle. Anatomically, the femoral triangle follows a separate path. When the femoral triangle and the blockade of the intermediate femoral cutaneous nerve are combined, it is called PSKB block. Parasartorial compartment block (PSKB); is based on the blockade of the branches of the saphenous nerve, the two largest sensory nerves from the femoral nerve to the knee, and is predicted to provide adequate postoperative analgesia in knee arthroplasty.

Pascarella et al. applied PSKB to a 58-year-old patient who underwent knee surgery under spinal anesthesia and had pain in the postoperative period and reported that the patient with a visual pain score of 9 decreased to 2 after the block.

This study, it is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of para-sartorial canal block for postoperative analgesia management in patients undergoing knee surgery. Our primary aim is to compare postoperative opioid consumption, and our secondary aim is to evaluate postoperative pain scores (Numerical rating scale-NRS), the presence of motor blockade, first postoperative mobilization time, and side effects (allergic reaction, nausea, vomiting, etc.) associated with opioid use.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Bagcilar
      • Istanbul, Bagcilar, Turkey (Türkiye), 34070
        • Istanbul Medipol University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with ASA classification I-III,
  • Aged 18-75 years
  • Who will be scheduled for knee surgery under spinal anesthesia.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who have a history of bleeding diathesis,
  • Take anticoagulant therapy,
  • History of chronic pain before surgery,
  • Multiple trauma,
  • Who cannot assess their pain,
  • Who have been operated under spinal anesthesia,
  • Who have an infection in the area and do not accept the procedure

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Group PSCB = Parasartorial compartment block group
After placing the linear ultrasound probe in the middle of the anterior superior line to the patella and spina drug, the probe will be advanced cephalad to visualize the intermediate femoral cutaneous nerve over the satrorious. Then the block will be applied. Three injections will be made with a single needle entry in the same imaging. The procedure will be completed by applying the first injection to the femoral triangle (10 ml of local anesthetic solution), the second injection to the subsartorial region (10 ml of local anesthetic solution) lateral to the femoral artery, and the third injection to the suprasartorial region (10 ml of local anesthetic solution) (total 30 ml of 0.25% solution). concentration bupivacaine). The block location will be confirmed by injecting 2 ml of saline in every three injections.
Drug: Postoperative analgesia management
Intravenous 0.5 mg/kg tramadol and 400 mg ibuprofen will be administered to all patients 30 minutes before the end of the surgical procedure. In the postoperative period, patients will be administered ibuprofen iv 400 mg 3x1. Postoperative patient evaluation will be performed by another pain nurse who is unaware of the procedure. Patients in all groups will be attached to IV PCA containing 10 mcg/ml fentanyl, 10 mcg bolus without infusion dose, and 10 min lock time protocol. If the NRS score is ≥ 4, 0.5 mg kg-1 iv meperidine will be administered as a rescue analgesic.
Active Comparator: Group C = Control group
Wound infiltration will be applied by the surgical team
Drug: Postoperative analgesia management
Intravenous 0.5 mg/kg tramadol and 400 mg ibuprofen will be administered to all patients 30 minutes before the end of the surgical procedure. In the postoperative period, patients will be administered ibuprofen iv 400 mg 3x1. Postoperative patient evaluation will be performed by another pain nurse who is unaware of the procedure. Patients in all groups will be attached to IV PCA containing 10 mcg/ml fentanyl, 10 mcg bolus without infusion dose, and 10 min lock time protocol. If the NRS score is ≥ 4, 0.5 mg kg-1 iv meperidine will be administered as a rescue analgesic.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain scores (Numerical Rating Scale-NRS)
Time Frame: Changes from baseline pain scores at postoperative 8th hour
Postoperative pain assessment will be performed using the NRS score (0 = no pain, 10 = the most severe pain felt)
Changes from baseline pain scores at postoperative 8th hour

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adverse events will be recorded
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours period
Adverse events; nausea, vomiting, itching
Postoperative 24 hours period
Rescue analgesia (Opioid-tramadol consumption)
Time Frame: Changes from baseline opioid consumption at postoperative 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 hours.
The tramadol consumption as rescue analgesia will be evaluated
Changes from baseline opioid consumption at postoperative 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 hours.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Medipol University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 19, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 10, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

September 16, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 30, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 30, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

October 4, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 2, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 29, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Medipol Hospital 31

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The investigators will not share IPD

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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