Femoral Nerve Catheter
Your Femoral Nerve Catheter
You have a femoral nerve catheter
(FNC), or a nerve block which is in your
groin area. The block sends a drug
through a yellow tube that numbs the
upper thigh and top of the knee. At every
shift change, your nurses will check the
site and pump settings. The block should
take away the amount of pain you feel
and decrease the amount of narcotic pain
medicines you need after surgery.
How it Works
The medicine comes in a pump that is
programmed by the amount of medicine
the doctors want you to have. In most
cases, you will receive a small amount of
medicine around-the-clock. There is a
button attached to your pump that you
can push to give yourself an extra dose if
you need it. Your nurse will explain to
you how often you can push the button.
This works best for pain on top of the
knee.
The Benefits
Using less narcotic drugs can help you
avoid bad side effects. Some of these are
low blood pressure, itching, drowsiness,
nausea, and decreased breathing rate.
One main goal of the block is to be
happier with your pain control.
The Risks
There are some risks to using a nerve
block. One of the biggest risks to you is
that you are more likely to fall after your
surgery. Even if you have normal feeling
in your leg, your muscles are weakened
by the medicine. Falls can increase the
time of your recovery and can cause
injuries. This could require another
surgery.
There are some important things you can
do to reduce your chance of falling. The
most important step you can take is to
always call for help before you get out
of bed. Having a nurse or nursing
assistant with you makes it safer for you
to get out of bed. Another way to
decrease falls is to use a brace called a
knee immobilizer. This brace will help
prevent your knee from giving out
without warning. This will be used the
entire time you have the block and for
several hours after it is removed until
your muscle strength returns to normal.
Research studies show that using the
brace lowers your risk for falling.
For Your Own Safety:
While you are in the hospital after your
surgery, remember this phrase:
“Call, don’t fall!”
LaReau, J.M., Robbins, C.E., Talma, C.T., Mehio, A.K., Puri, L., & Bono, J.V. (2012).
Complications of femoral nerve blockade in total knee arthroplasty and strategies to reduce
patient risk. Journal of Arthroplasty, 27, 564-568. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2011.06.028
Otten, C., & Dunn, K. (2011). Mulitmodal analgesia for postoperative total knee arthroplasty.
Orthopaedic Nursing, 30, 373-380. doi: 10.1097/NOR.0b013e318237108a
Sharma, S., Iorio, R., Specht, L.M., Davies-Lepie, S., & Healy, W.L. (2010). Complications of
femoral nerve block for total knee arthroplasty. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research,
468(1), 135-140. doi:10.1007/s11999-009-1025-1
Your health care team may have given you this information as part of your care. If so, please use it and call if you
have any questions. If this information was not given to you as part of your care, please check with your doctor. This
is not medical advice. This is not to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Because each
person’s health needs are different, you should talk with your doctor or others on your health care team when using
this information. If you have an emergency, please call 911. Copyright © 5/2018 University of Wisconsin Hospitals
and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#7374
