Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2011
ReviewMeralgia paresthetica: what an anesthesiologist needs to know.
Meralgia paresthetica (MP) is an entrapment pain syndrome of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) of thigh. Diagnosis is principally made on clinical ground with pain and paresthesia of the anterolateral thigh. Electrophysiological test and nerve block play important roles when the diagnosis is uncertain. ⋯ Surgical options should be considered in patients refractory to those treatment options. Anesthesiologists are commonly involved in the management of MP because of their expertise in pain management and performance of the LFCN block. Blockade of the LFCN with local anesthetics and steroid serves both the diagnostic and therapeutic role.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2011
Comparative StudyNewly designed, self-coiling catheters for regional anesthesia--an imaging study.
A major concern with the use of continuous peripheral nerve block is the difficulty encountered in placing the catheters close enough to the nerves to accomplish effective analgesia. The aim of this study was to investigate if a self-coiling catheter would remain close to the sciatic nerve once introduced through needles placed under ultrasound guidance and if contrast dye injected through the pigtail catheter made direct contact to the nerves. ⋯ By using self-coiling catheters, it is possible to blindly introduce the catheter through needles placed under ultrasound guidance with a low risk of catheter misplacement away from the targeted nerves.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyLong-term pain, stiffness, and functional disability after total knee arthroplasty with and without an extended ambulatory continuous femoral nerve block: a prospective, 1-year follow-up of a multicenter, randomized, triple-masked, placebo-controlled trial.
Previously, we have demonstrated that extending a continuous femoral nerve block (cFNB) from overnight to 4 days after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) provides clear benefits during the infusion, but not subsequent to catheter removal. However, there were major limitations in generalizing the results of that investigation, and we subsequently performed a very similar study using a multicenter format, with many health care providers, in patients on general orthopedic wards, thus greatly improving inference of the results to the general population. Not surprisingly, the perioperative/short-term outcomes differed greatly from the first, more limited study. We now present a prospective follow-up study of the previously published, multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate the possibility that an extended ambulatory cFNB decreases long-term pain, stiffness, and functional disability after TKA, which greatly improves inference of the results to the general population. ⋯ This investigation found no evidence that extending an overnight cFNB to 4 days improves (or worsens) subsequent pain, stiffness, or physical function after TKA in patients of multiple centers convalescing on general orthopedic wards.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyComparison of neosaxitoxin versus bupivacaine via port infiltration for postoperative analgesia following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized, double-blind trial.
Wound infiltration with available local anesthetics generally provides analgesia for less than 8 hrs. The site 1 sodium-channel toxin neosaxitoxin (neoSTX) produced analgesia for over 24 hrs in animals and human volunteers. In this randomized, double-blind trial, we examined the postoperative course of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy under a standardized general anesthesia with wound infiltration using either neoSTX or bupivacaine. We hypothesized that neoSTX would reduce pain compared with bupivacaine at 12 hrs postoperatively. ⋯ NeoSTX shows promise as a long-acting local anesthetic. Future studies will examine dose response, combination formulations, and safety with dose escalation.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEchogenic technology can improve needle visibility during ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia.
Needle tip visualization is fundamental to the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA). It can be extremely challenging especially at steep insertion angles. We assessed whether an echogenic needle improved tip visibility during UGRA by anesthesiologists performing their normal in-plane technique. ⋯ Tip visibility with the Sonoplex was independent of insertion angle over the range studied (0-57 degrees, P=0.95). This finding occurred when nonexpert anesthesiologists performed their standard UGRA technique. A needle that is visible for a greater percentage of time has potential safety and efficacy implications.