Abstract:

Abstract This study was designed to evaluate the effect of addition of tramadol to levobupivacaine femoral nerve block in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction under general anaesthesia. 60 male patients ASA I-II aged 18-45 years, scheduled for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction under general anaesthesia, patients were randomly allocated into two equal sized groups using closed envelope technique: Group L: (n= 30) femoral nerve block with levobupivacaine (0.5%) 20ml. Group LT: (n= 30) femoral nerve block with levobupivacaine (0.5%) 20ml +2mg/kg tramadol. Time to first request of postoperative analgesia, severity of postoperative pain at rest using VAS, dose of pethidine consumed in 24 h were recorded. There were no statistical significant differences between the two studied groups as regard to patient characteristics, time to first request of postoperative analgesia, postoperative pethidine consumption  and 24 hours VAS  at rest between the two studied group. The addition of tramadol 2mg/kg did not improve postoperative analgesic efficacy of levobupivacaine (0.5%) femoral nerve block in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction under general anaesthesia.     Key Words: Femoral nerve block , levobupivacaine, tramadol, knee surgery

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