Background and aims Fracture neck of femur is one of the most common fractures in elderly patients, giving rise to significant pain. PENG (PEricapsular Nerve Group block) is the newest entrant into the repertoire of peripheral nerve blocks to control such pain. the aim of our study was to compare the efficacy of PENG block with that of fascia iliaca block in providing effective pain relief.

Methods The 50 neck of femur fracture patients included in the study received either PENG or fascia iliaca block with 20 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine, 25 patients on each arm. Pain was scored using the Numeric Rating Scale (0–10) before the start of the block (0 minute) and then at 10, 20 and 30 minutes after the block. Time to rescue analgesic was noted and duration of action was calculated.

Results The PENG group had a significantly quicker onset of action (signified by a reduction of pain score by 5) compared to the fascia iliaca group (average of 13.6 minutes and 22 minutes, respectively). the average duration of action was almost similar between the two groups (9.9 hours in PENG and 10.32 hours in fascia iliaca group)

Conclusions PENG block leads to faster onset of pain control in fracture neck of femur patients compared to fascia iliaca block. However, both the blocks are almost equally efficacious as far as duration of block is concerned.