Evaluation of Post-operative Analgesic Efficacy of Adductor Canal Block Compared to Conventional Intravenous Analgesics in Knee Arthroscopy Surgery

Background: Effective post-operative pain management is essential for early recovery and patient satisfaction following knee arthroscopy. This study aimed to evaluate the post-operative analgesic efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided adductor canal block (ACB) compared to conventional intravenous morphine analgesia. Materials and Methods: This randomized, controlled, interventional study was conducted in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) of the Department of Anesthesiology in an Indian Hospital. Eighty adult patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] I-II) undergoing unilateral knee arthroscopy under general anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups: Group M received intravenous morphine (0.1 mg/kg) before incision, and Group B received an ultrasound-guided ACB with 15 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine before extubation. Post-operative analgesic efficacy was assessed by the requirement of rescue analgesia and the time to achieve a Visual Analog Score (VAS) 0.05). Rescue analgesia in the PACU was required in 47.5% of patients in Group M and 10.0% in Group B (P < 0.001). The mean time to achieve VAS