Patient-Titrated Automated Intermittent Boluses of Local Anesthetic vs. a Continuous Infusion Via a Perineural Catheter for Postoperative Analgesia

Plain-language summary

This will be a randomized comparison of continuous local anesthetic infusion with patient controlled boluses (PCA) to patient-titratable automated boluses with patient controlled boluses (PCA) for both infraclavicular and popliteal-sciatic perineural catheters. The overall goal is to determine the relationship between method of local anesthetic administration (continuous with PCA vs. titratable intermittent dosing with PCA) for these two perineural catheter locations and the resulting pain control. The investigators hypothesize that, compared with a traditional fixed, continuous basal infusion initiated prior to discharge, perineural local anesthetic administered with titratable automated boluses at a lower dose and a 5-hour delay following discharge will (1) provide at least noninferior analgesia during the period that both techniques are functioning; and, (2) will result in a longer overall duration of administration \[dual primary end points\].

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