Intra-articular sufentanil in multimodal analgesic management after outpatient arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a prospective, randomized, double-blinded study.

PURPOSE: This prospective, randomized, blinded study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of intra-articular sufentanil, ropivacaine, and clonidine compared with that of ropivacaine and clonidine without sufentanil on postoperative pain after arthroscopic reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee.

METHODS: One hundred twenty patients were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups. At the end of the operation, the surgeon injected 20 mL of a solution containing 5 microg sufentanil, 100 mg ropivacaine, and 1 microg/kg clonidine in the knees of patients in group A whereas the surgeon injected the same solution without sufentanil in group B. During the postoperative period and for the first 24 hours, we recorded pain intensity using a visual analog scale.

RESULTS: All patients were discharged after a few hours with well-controlled pain. Pain scores were low in both groups both before and after discharge. We did not show any difference in pain scores at any time point. During the first postoperative hour, patients in group B required more rescue analgesic drugs (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS: In our patients the addition of sufentanil in the intra-articular solution did not provide better control of pain.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, therapeutic randomized controlled trial.