Regional anesthesia for hip surgery

Regional anesthesia techniques are important for patients who undergo hip surgery. Although both general and regional anesthesia can be conducted in a safe, effective manner, the ability to provide superior postoperative analgesia, improved patient satisfaction, rapid postoperative recovery, and reduced cost of medical care can be the result of carefully implemented regional anesthesia techniques. Further established advantages of regional anesthesia include a reduction in perioperative blood loss and a lower incidence of perioperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT) formation for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty or surgical repair of a hip fracture. This article discusses the common types of hip surgery and the regional anesthetic techniques that may be effectively utilized in those surgical settings.