Abstract:Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and to evaluate the safety of regional nerve block combined with nimodipine in the treatment of elderly patients with hypertension undergoing knee arthroplasty.Methods From August 2021 to July 2022, the 148 elderly hypertensive patients admitted to Deyang People's Hospital for knee arthroplasty were selected and divided into the control group (74 patients receiving ultrasound-guided regional nerve block) and the combination group (74 patients receiving ultrasound-guided regional nerve block and nimodipine via the infusion pump). The surgical indicators and the hemodynamic parameters of the two groups of patients at different time points were compared. The intraoperative hemodynamic abnormalities and the medication use were compared between the two groups. The pain scores and levels of stress response indicators, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and homocysteine (Hcy) at different time points were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the operative duration, time to recovery from the surgery, or time to laryngeal mask airway removal between the two groups (P > 0.05). The amount of propofol and remifentanil used in the combination group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) at T0, T1, T2 and T3 in the two groups were compared via the repeated measures analysis of variance, which demonstrated that SBP, DBP, HR and MAP were different among the time points (F = 10.038, 8.416, 8.035 and 7.549, all P < 0.05) and between the two groups (F = 7.458, 9.136, 8.045 and 7.482, all P < 0.05), and that the change trends of these indicators were also different between the two groups (F = 6.854, 7.516, 8.045 and 10.387, all P < 0.05). The incidence of high blood pressure and the proportion of patients using antihypertensive drugs in combination group were lower than those in control group (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the incidence of hypotension, tachycardia and bradycardia or the proportion of patients using antihypotensive agents between the two groups (P > 0.05). The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores 1 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after the surgery in the two groups were compared via the repeated measures analysis of variance, and the results showed that they were different among the time points (F = 8.053, P < 0.05) and between the two groups (F = 8.476, P < 0.05), where VAS scores in the combination group were lower than those in the control group, indicating better analgesic effects in the combination group. Besides, the change trends of the VAS scores were different between the two groups (F = 7.154, P < 0.05). The levels of cortisol (Cor) and ANP before the surgery and 2 h, 12 h and 24 h after the surgery in the two groups were compared via the repeated measures analysis of variance, which revealed that they were different among the time points (F = 7.549 and 8.135, both P < 0.05) and between the two groups (F = 6.758 and 7.043, both P < 0.05), where the levels of Cor and ANP were lower in the combination group than in the control group, suggesting that the perioperative stress response was milder in the combination group. In addition, the change trends of the levels of Cor and ANP were different between the two groups (F = 8.146 and 9.257, both P < 0.05). The levels of NSE and Hcy before the surgery and 12 h and 24 h after the surgery in the two groups were compared via the repeated measures analysis of variance, and the results exhibited that they were different among the time points (F =7.549 and 8.135, both P < 0.05) and between the two groups (F = 6.758 and 7.043, both P < 0.05), where postoperative levels of NSE and Hcy in the combination group were lower than those in the control group. The change trends of the levels of NSE and Hcy were also different between the two groups (F = 8.146 and 9.257, both P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the overall incidence of adverse drug reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusions In treating elderly patients with hypertension undergoing knee arthroplasty, ultrasound-guided regional nerve block combined with nimodipine via the infusion pump could reduce the use of anesthetics, stabilize hemodynamics, decrease the incidence of high blood pressure and the use of antihypertensive drugs, enhance postoperative analgesic effects, inhibit the postoperative stress response, and lower the levels of NSE and Hcy with few safety concerns.