Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2002
Case ReportsMandibular nerve block treatment for trismus associated with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
We describe the use of mandibular nerve block for the management of bilateral trismus associated with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. ⋯ Mandibular nerve block may be an effective treatment for patients with bilateral trismus due to ischemic-encephalopathy, even when consciousness is impaired.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2002
Percutaneous electrode guidance: a noninvasive technique for prelocation of peripheral nerves to facilitate peripheral plexus or nerve block.
Typically, peripheral nerve block is done by approximating nerve location, usually by use of anatomical landmarks. Precise nerve location has been done by needle exploration. A new method, percutaneous electrode guidance (PEG) of the block needle, was performed. A transcutaneous stimulating cylindrical electrode was used to indent the skin, locate the underlying nerve, and guide a block needle near it. ⋯ A smooth, metal-tipped electrically shielded skin electrode probe can be used to comfortably and accurately indent the skin over a desired nerve or plexus, define its anatomical course, and subsequently guide a block needle near it.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2002
Case ReportsPeriosteal infusion of bupivacaine/morphine post sternal fracture: a new analgesic technique.
Sternal fracture pain is severe and is difficult to alleviate due to the forces acting on the chest wall during respiration. We describe a continuous infusion regional analgesic technique for pain due to sternal fracture. ⋯ Continuous infusion of local anesthetic and opioid to a sternal fracture site using a periosteally positioned catheter led to successful analgesia and hence improved respiratory function. Clinicians should consider placing a periosteal catheter when pain associated with sternal fracture cannot be adequately controlled with conventional methods.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2002
Gabapentin produces dose-dependent antinociception in the orofacial formalin test in the rat.
High neuraxial drug infusion has been advocated for the treatment of intractable cranial and facial pain in humans. Currently, parallel animal models have not been characterized to support this methodology. We combined an accepted animal model of pain of cranial origin with a novel technique of cervico-medullary drug delivery to determine the antinociceptive potential of gabapentin. Gabapentin was chosen because of its reported efficacy in a wide array of complex cranial pain syndromes. ⋯ Gabapentin produced dose-dependent antinociception in the second phase of the orofacial formalin test in the rat after injection into the cervico-medullary cerebrospinal fluid. This animal model may be useful to assess analgesics designed for parallel clinical application in humans for the treatment of intractable head and neck pain that is refractory to conventional modalities.