Assessment of postoperative pain and hospital discharge after inguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block for inguinal hernia repair under spinal anesthesia: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate analgesia (pain intensity and analgesic consumption) and the time of discharge of patients who underwent ilioinguinal (II) and iliohypogastric (IH) nerve block associated with wound infiltration with 0.75% ropivacaine, or not, after inguinal hernia repair surgery under spinal anesthesia. METHODS This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind study with 34 patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair. Patients were divided into two groups: control (C) and II and IH nerve block (B). Group C (n = 17) received spinal anesthesia with 15 mg hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine and Group B (n = 17) received spinal anesthesia with 15 mg hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine associated with II and IH nerve block (10 mL of 0.75% ropivacaine) and surgical wound infiltration (10 mL of 0.75% ropivacaine). The following data were analyzed: demographic data, pain intensity according to the visual analog scale (VAS), and number of doses of analgesics (dipyrone, ketorolac and nalbuphine) in the immediate postoperative period, as well as at the time of hospital discharge. RESULTS The VAS at rest was significantly lower in Group B compared with Group C (p < 0.05), three hours after the procedure, with no differences on VAS during movement in all postoperative periods. The number of doses of analgesics during the postoperative period was similar in both groups, but patients in Group B were discharged earlier than in Group C. CONCLUSION II and IH nerve block associated with surgical wound infiltration with 0.75% ropivacaine provides better postoperative analgesia and early hospital discharge in patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair under spinal anesthesia.