Incidence and Risk Factors for Post-Anesthetic Morphine Titration in Recovery Room After Hip and Knee Arthroplasties

Despite the use of multimodal analgesia combining nerve block (NB) and systemic analgesia, intravenous (IV) morphine titration in the post-anesthetic care unit (PACU) after total hip (THA) and knee (TKA) arthroplasty is required to relieve early moderate-to-severe pain. Sedation occurrence during titration and a VAS score higher than 60/100mm are two independent risk factors for postoperative pain during hospitalization. The association of NB and multimodal analgesia constitutes the reference in evidence-based recommendations. An adductor or femoral triangle block, alone or associated with periarticular infiltration, is recommended during TKA. During THA, NB associated with surgical periarticular infiltration improves analgesia and rehabilitation This study aims to identify the incidence and risk factors of morphine titration in PACU after lower limb arthroplasty performed by 5 experienced surgeons and using a multimodal analgesic procedure