Abstract:Objective To analyze the effect of esketamine patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) combined with continuous pericapsular nerve group block (PENGB) on postoperative analgesia in elderly patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA).Methods The clinical data of 95 elderly patients undergoing THA from April 2019 to July 2023 at Yixing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to different anesthesia approaches, where the control group (n = 46) received esketamine PCIA combined with conventional lumbar plexus block, and the observation group (n = 49) received PCIA combined with PENGB. The analgesic effect was compared between the two groups.Results Comparison of HR and MAP between the observation and control groups before anesthesia (T0), 10 min after anesthesia completion (T1), 20 min postoperatively (T2), 3 h postoperatively (T3), 6 h postoperatively (T4), and 24 h postoperatively (T5) revealed that they differed significantly across time points (P < 0.05) and between the groups (P < 0.05), and that the overall trends in HR and MAP changes also differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.05). At 12 h and 24 h postoperatively, the differences in epinephrine and β-endorphin levels were significantly lower in the observation group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In contrast, the changes in neuropeptide Y, substance P, prostaglandin E2, resting pain scores, and pain scores at rest and on movement were significantly greater in the observation group (P < 0.05). The observation group required fewer PCIA pump presses and had a lower rate of rescue analgesia compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The overall incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion Esketamine PCIA combined with continuous PENGB significantly reduces the pain mediators and pain intensity, attenuates the stress response, maintains hemodynamic stability, and is associated with fewer adverse events in elderly patients undergoing THA.