Total Hip Arthroplasty (Exparel)

Dr. Brandon Broome with the Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas talks about the use of Exparel in total hip arthroplasty patients. Exparel is used as an opioid sparing care pathway and is injected at the time of surgery. It controls pain for up to 3 to 5 days. This allows patients a quicker reconvalescence, lessens nausea, shortens the time spent in hospital, lessen the need for opioid pain killers, saves the patient and lower the hospital cost.
The author describes how the exparel is prepared. It consists bupivacaine and normal saline mixture. At the end of the procedure, there is also a mixture of Marcaine with epinefrine injected, for a immediate pain relief, so an exparel can have time to start working. Doctor emphasizes the importance of using a smaller guage needle. The injection is presented and commented on the video.