PAIN LOWERING EFFECT OF HEMATOMA BLOCK FOR CLOSE REDUCTION OF DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURES

Background: Distal radius fracture is common in all age groups and close reduction is effective method of management. The objective of this study was to determine the pain lowering effect of hematoma block for close reduction of distal radius fractures. Material & Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted at Civil Hospital, Khanuspur, Abbottabad from September, 2011 to February, 2013. All patients presenting with distal radius fracture were included. Patients having multiple fractures, pathological fractures or injuries requiring general anesthesia were excluded. Pain score was measured on Visual Analogue Pain Scale before and five, 10 & 30 minutes after hematoma block. Paired t test was applied to see significance of difference at alpha value of 0.5. Results: Out of 48 patients with distal radius fracture, males were 20(41.7%) while females were 28(58.3%). The mean age of the sample was 47.04 +/- 18.45. Nine (18.8%) patients were aged up to 20 years, 12 (25%) were from 21-50 years and 27(56.2%) were of age more than 50 years. In 25(52.1%) patients, there was right while in 23(47.9%) patients there was left distal radius fracture. There was highly statistically significant reduction in pain score at all three point intervals after hematoma block (p<0.001 at all points). Conclusion: The significant pain lowering effect of hematoma block with low risks make it a procedure of choice for close manipulations of distal radius fractures not only in peripheral but also in tertiary care set up.