Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialPerioperative pain management education: a short structured regional anesthesia course compared with traditional teaching among medical students.
Previous research has demonstrated that a brief course on pain management improved knowledge and attitudes toward analgesic use among medical students. The purpose of this study is to compare a structured clinical instruction course on regional anesthesia techniques for perioperative pain management with traditional teaching given to senior medical students. ⋯ A structured clinical instructional course on regional techniques for perioperative pain management given to fourth-year medical students can significantly improve their understanding and knowledge compared with traditional teaching.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialContinuous versus single-injection lumbar plexus blocks: comparison of the effects on morphine use and early recovery after total knee arthroplasty.
Continuous lumbar plexus infusion of local anesthetic after total knee arthroplasty has been shown to improve analgesia and early recovery as compared with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) morphine. Any benefit of an infusion over a single-injection lumbar plexus block has not been directly shown however. ⋯ Postoperative infusion of local anesthetic around the lumbar plexus reduces morphine requirement and improves early recovery after total knee arthroplasty as compared with a single-injection block.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2005
Case ReportsPersistent hiccups after attempted interscalene brachial plexus block.
We describe a case of persistent hiccups after attempted interscalene brachial plexus block. ⋯ Persistent hiccups have many postulated causes, including several that are common in the perioperative period, but this is the first time to our knowledge that persistent hiccups have been described in association with attempted interscalene brachial plexus block.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2005
Vertical infraclavicular block of the brachial plexus: effects on hemidiaphragmatic movement and ventilatory function.
Several case reports have suggested that block of the brachial plexus by the vertical infraclavicular approach influences hemidiaphragmatic movement and ventilatory function. These effects have not been evaluated in a prospective study. ⋯ The vertical infraclavicular block can result in a change in ipsilateral hemidiaphragmatic movement, with a decrease of ventilatory function. Although a correlation between the presence of Horner's syndrome and hemidiaphragmatic dysfunction was observed, hemidiaphragmatic dysfunction also occurred independently.