Fentanyl-Bupivacaine combinations for continuous epidural analgesia: post operative pain in orthopedic surgery

Post operative pain is an essential problem. Epidural infusion of two different doses of bupivacaine in pain management of post orthopedic surgeries was studied. In this double blinded randomized clinical trial we studied two groups of 42 patients undergone knee surgery. Based on block randomization, patients received two different concentration of bupivacaine (0.1% or 0.125%) in combination with fentanyl (1.7µg/ml). The beginning infusion rate was 5ml/h. Pain scores were documented by a blinded researcher 6, 12, 18, 24 and 48 hours after completion of surgery according to VAS tool.