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Pacira Pharmaceuticals announced results from a 200-patient study evaluating the benefits of Exparel (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) as the foundation of a multimodal postsurgical pain management regimen in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA), also known as total knee replacement.
RELATED: Pain Management Resource Center
The study evaluated a matched cohort of 200 patients undergoing TKA, half of whom (n=100) received femoral nerve block, while the other half received Exparel infiltration. The investigators recorded average pain scores, knee flexion, length of stay, and performed a cost analysis for both groups.
The findings show that patients treated with Exparel experienced better pain control with improved knee flexion and a shorter length of hospital stay compared to patients who received a femoral nerve block with a local anesthetic, the current standard of pain management for TKA.
Compared to patients who received a femoral nerve block, patients treated with Exparel experienced:
- Lower pain scores during the first 24 hours (4.0 in the Exparel group compared to 4.9 in the femoral nerve block group) and on day 2 after surgery (4.7 in the Exparel group compared to 5.3 in the femoral nerve block group)
- Greater improvement in knee flexion at both Week 3 and Week 9 follow up (109° to 121° for the Exparel group vs. 100° to 105° for the femoral nerve block group)
- Shorter overall length of hospital stay (2.2 days for the Exparel group vs. 2.5 days in the femoral nerve block group), with greater likelihood of discharge the day after surgery (12% of patients in the Exparel group compared to zero patients in the femoral nerve block group)
Exparel is already approved for single-dose infiltration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia.
For more information call (973) 254-3560 or visit Pacira.com.
