Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2001
Case ReportsThoracic paravertebral block for management of pain associated with multiple fractured ribs in patients with concomitant lumbar spinal trauma.
The need for continual neurological assessment in patients with lumbar spinal injury poses a challenge for effective management of pain associated with multiple fractured ribs. Two cases are presented to illustrate the benefits of using thoracic paravertebral block to control the pain of multiple fractured ribs without compromising the ongoing neurological assessment. ⋯ Thoracic paravertebral block is an option for managing pain associated with multiple fractured ribs in the presence of concomitant lumbar spinal injury requiring continual neurological assessment.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2001
What is the relationship between paresthesia and nerve stimulation for axillary brachial plexus block?
To quantify the motor threshold current of a needle following elicitation of paresthesia during axillary brachial plexus block (ABPB). ⋯ A needle position causing paresthesia produced a motor response at 0.5 mA or less in 77% of cases studied. This current may, therefore, be a reasonable threshold to aim for when performing an ABPB.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialEfficacy and safety of dipyrone versus tramadol in the management of pain after hysterectomy: a randomized, double-blind, multicenter study.
We assessed the efficacy and safety of dipyrone in comparison with tramadol in the relief of early postoperative pain following abdominal hysterectomy. ⋯ Dipyrone and tramadol showed similar efficacy for early pain relief after abdominal hysterectomy. Nausea and vomiting, possibly caused by the tramadol, occurred more frequently in those patients. In this group, the need of the antiemetic drug ondansetron was also higher.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialProspective experience with a 20-gauge Tuohy needle for lumbar epidural steroid injections: Is confirmation with fluoroscopy necessary?
Small (20-gauge) Tuohy needles have been introduced for epidural steroid injection to optimize patient comfort and decrease the risk of spinal headache. These needles may be less reliable for indentification of the epidural space than standard 17- or 18-gauge needles because of their small size. We prospectively examined the success rate of lumbar epidural steroid placement with loss-of-resistance (LOR) technique compared with fluoroscopy confirmation. ⋯ In contrast to the reported 99% success rates for epidural placement of standard 17- or 18-gauge Tuohy needles, we observed a success rate of 92%. Small-gauge Tuohy needles are technically more difficult to use than larger needles and may require confirmation with fluoroscopy for correct epidural placement, especially in elderly male patients.