• Vincent Minville, Karim Asehnoune, Clément Chassery, Luc N'Guyen, Claude Gris, Olivier Fourcade, Kamran Samii, and Dan Benhamou.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital of Toulouse, France. vincentminville@yahoo.fr
• Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2005 May 1; 30 (3): 233-7.

ObjectivesInfraclavicular brachial plexus block with double stimulation (ICB) is a safe technique for upper-limb anesthesia. However, the experience of learning this technique by anesthesiology residents has not been reported. The aim of this study was to compare staff with resident anesthesiologists in the performance of ICB.MethodsPatients scheduled for orthopedic surgery of the upper limb were included in a prospective, comparative, randomized study and were given ICB by either staff anesthesiologist (Group S, n = 110 patients) or resident anesthesiologist (Group R, n = 110 patients).ResultsTime to perform the block was 3.9 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] = 3.5 to 4.3) for Group S and 5.8 minutes (CI 95% = 5.2 to 6.4) for Group R (P < .05). The onset time was 14.4 minutes (CI 95% = 13.5 to 15.3) for Group S and 15.9 minutes (CI 95% = 14.7 to 17.1) for Group R (P = NS). Success rate was 93% for Group S and 90% for Group R (P = NS). Supplementation was performed in 8 patients in Group S versus 11 patients in Group R (P = NS). No patient needed general anesthesia. One self-limited vascular puncture was made in Group S versus 3 in Group R (P = NS).ConclusionThis report determines whether residents can perform this technique with comparable efficiency compared with staff. We conclude that ICB should be taught as part of all resident training programs.

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