Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomized comparison of long-and short-axis imaging for in-plane ultrasound-guided femoral perineural catheter insertion.
Continuous femoral nerve blocks provide effective analgesia after knee arthroplasty, and infusion effects depend on reliable catheter location. Ultrasound-guided perineural catheter insertion using a short-axis in-plane technique has been validated, but the optimal catheter location relative to target nerve and placement orientation remain unknown. We hypothesized that a long-axis in-plane technique for femoral perineural catheter insertion results in faster onset of sensory anesthesia compared to a short-axis in-plane technique. ⋯ Long-axis in-plane femoral perineural catheters result in a slightly faster onset of sensory anesthesia, but placement takes longer to perform without other clinical advantages.