Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
Analgesic efficacy of infiltration between the popliteal artery and capsule of the knee (iPACK) block added to local infiltration analgesia and continuous adductor canal block after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized clinical trial.
A combination of motor-sparing analgesia with local infiltration analgesia (LIA) and continuous adductor canal block (CACB) may improve postoperative pain and functional recovery for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We hypothesized that the addition of a novel technique for posterior knee block, known as the infiltration between the popliteal artery and capsule of the knee (iPACK) block, to LIA with CACB would reduce opioid requirements. ⋯ The addition of an iPACK block to the LIA and CACB does not reduce the postoperative opioid consumption nor improve analgesia. However, it may improve immediate functional performance and reduce the length of hospitalization after TKA.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
Images in anesthesiology: three safe, simple, and inexpensive methods to administer the sphenopalatine ganglion block.
The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block is a simple and valuable technique that was discovered over a century ago, but, unfortunately, very few anesthesiology providers are familiar with this block. After some of our recent publications, physicians from different countries have reached out to us requesting more specifics on how we perform our version of the block. In this report, we provide a brief history of the block and demonstrate our three effective, simple, readily available, and inexpensive methodologies with images. We are proud to share that our three SPG block techniques have so far effectively relieved patients of chronic migraines, acute migraines, tension headaches, moderate-to-severe back pain, and post-dural puncture headaches.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
Distribution of injectate administered through a catheter inserted by three different approaches to ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block: a prospective observational study.
Despite the popularity of continuous thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB), there is a paucity of information on catheter tip position and distribution of injectate through the catheter. We observed, in real time, the spread of dye, the catheter tip position and sensory block levels produced with three different (intercostal (IC), transverse process sagittal (TS) and paralaminar (PL)) approaches to ultrasound-guided TPVB in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. ⋯ Although a bolus injection through a catheter for ultrasound-guided TPVB produced multiple levels of spread and sensory blockade in more than half the patients, considerable differences existed in the spread regardless of approach.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
Caudal analgesia versus abdominal wall blocks for pediatric genitourinary surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Caudal block is a well-established technique for providing perioperative analgesia in pediatric genitourinary surgery, but abdominal wall blocks such as ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (II-IH) and transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block are increasingly being used. ⋯ This meta-analysis was limited by unclear risk of selection and performance biases and significant heterogeneity. In summary, II-IH and TAP block are a non-invasive and reasonable alternative to caudal analgesia in pediatric genitourinary surgery.