Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
-
Ambulatory continuous infusions have been associated with improved analgesia and few serious complications. This report describes an unusual case of a patient with a continuous interscalene nerve block who developed a contralateral upper extremity sensory block. The complication did not occur until postoperative day two while the patient was at home. ⋯ Ambulatory continuous infusions are typically associated with few serious complications and a favourable safety profile. This case demonstrates that unexpected complications can still occur even after days of normal operation. Based on our previous experience, we believe this to be a rare but potentially serious event that requires awareness by those discharging patients with continuous infusions of local anesthetics.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparative efficacy of ultrasound-guided and stimulating popliteal-sciatic perineural catheters for postoperative analgesia.
Perineural catheter insertion using ultrasound guidance alone is a relatively new approach. Previous studies have shown that ultrasound-guided catheters take less time to place with high placement success rates, but the analgesic efficacy compared with the established stimulating catheter technique remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that popliteal-sciatic perineural catheter insertion relying exclusively on ultrasound guidance results in superior postoperative analgesia compared with stimulating catheters. ⋯ For popliteal-sciatic perineural catheters, ultrasound guidance takes less time and results in fewer placement failures compared with stimulating catheters. However, analgesia may be mildly improved with successfully placed stimulating catheters. Clinical trial registration number NCT00876681.
-
Letter Case Reports
The potentially beneficial role of an aortic arch anatomical variant.