Comparison of the effects of general anesthesia and combined femoral popliteal nerve block on postoperative pain in patients with diabetic underwent transtibial amputations

To compare the postoperative pain effects of ultrasound-guided combined femoral-popliteal nerve block and general anesthesia in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) underwent unilateral transtibial amputations. The study was planned as a retrospective study. Sixty-four patients who underwent unilateral transtibial amputations operations between July 2016 and July 2017, with either general anesthesia (GA, n=28) or ultrasound-guided combined femoral-popliteal nerve block (CFPNB, n=36) were included in the study. Postoperative visual analogue (VAS) pain scores at 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48th hours, total amount of consumed pethidine and the first analgesia requirement time were evaluated. The demographic characteristics of the patients were similar (p>0.05). The VAS scores and total amount of consumed pethidine were lower, and longer the first opioid analgesia requirement time in the CFPNB group in the first 48 hours than in the GA group (p<0.05). Ultrasound guided femoral popliteal nerve block could be a positive option for postoperative analgesia compared with GA in patients with DM undergoing transtibial amputations.