Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialThe Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve: Description of the Sensory Territory and a Novel Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Block Technique.
Nerve blockade of the lateral femoral cutaneous (LFC) nerve provides some analgesia after hip surgery. However, knowledge is lacking about the extent of the cutaneous area anesthetized by established LFC nerve block techniques, as well as the success rate of anesthetic coverage of various surgical incisions. Nerve block techniques that rely on ultrasonographic identification of the LFC nerve distal to the inguinal ligament can be technically challenging. Furthermore, the branching of the LFC nerve is variable, and it is unknown if proximal LFC nerve branches are anesthetized using the current techniques. The primary aim of this study was to investigate a novel ultrasound-guided LFC nerve block technique based on injection into the fat-filled flat tunnel (FFFT), which is a duplicature of the fascia lata between the sartorius and the tensor fasciae latae muscle, in order to assess the success rate of anesthetizing the proximal LFC nerve branches and covering of the different surgical incisions used for hip surgery. ⋯ This novel LFC nerve block technique is easy and quick and reliably produces anesthesia of the lateral thigh. The greater trochanter is rarely included in the area of anesthesia, which reduces the coverage of each specific surgical incision. The success rate of 68% in anesthetizing the proximal nerve branches must be further evaluated by future research.
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Ultrasound-guided interfascial plane blocks are a recent development in modern regional anesthesia research and practice and represent a new route of transmission for local anesthetic to various anatomic locations, but much more research is warranted. Before becoming overtaken with enthusiasm for these new techniques, a deeper understanding of fascial tissue anatomy and structure, as well as precise targets for needle placement, is required. Many factors may influence the ultimate spread and quality of resulting interfascial plane blocks, and these must be understood in order to best integrate these techniques into contemporary perioperative pain management protocols.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialAnalgesia of Combined Femoral Triangle and Obturator Nerve Blockade Is Superior to Local Infiltration Analgesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty With High-Dose Intravenous Dexamethasone.
High-dose intravenous dexamethasone reduces the postoperative opioid requirement and is often included in the multimodal analgesia strategy after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Combined obturator nerve and femoral triangle blockade (OFB) reduces the opioid consumption and pain after TKA better than local infiltration analgesia (LIA). The question is whether preoperative high-dose intravenous dexamethasone would cancel out the superior analgesic effect of OFB compared with LIA. The aim was to evaluate the analgesic effect of OFB versus LIA after TKA when all patients received high-dose intravenous dexamethasone. ⋯ This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02374008.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2018
Observational StudyPlasma Ropivacaine Concentrations Following Local Infiltration Analgesia in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Pharmacokinetic Study to Determine Safety Following Fixed-Dose Administration.
The primary aim of this study was to examine the pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine in patients undergoing elective total knee arthroplasty with local infiltration analgesia as the primary analgesic method. We also sought to determine the incidence of biochemical toxicity through measurement of plasma ropivacaine concentrations over the first 24 hours postoperatively. ⋯ The peak total ropivacaine concentration was below quoted toxic concentrations (2.2 μg/mL) in all patients. This peak occurred later than has previously been described in those undergoing neuraxial or peripheral nerve block, occurring between 6 and 24 hours. The influence of age, weight, and renal function on systemic ropivacaine concentration should be considered when planning local infiltration analgesia. Female sex is a factor that has not previously been associated with peak ropivacaine concentrations.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2018
Case ReportsRefractory Pain Management in Amyloid-Associated Peripheral Neuropathy.
Systemic amyloidosis is a disease that often involves multiple organ systems, including the peripheral nervous system. Patients may present with severe, refractory neuropathic pain; however, the optimal treatment approach for pain for these patients remains unclear. ⋯ Severe pain in the setting of amyloid neuropathy is often difficult to treat. To our knowledge, this represents the first report of Scrambler therapy or an implanted intrathecal drug delivery system used for a patient with refractory amyloidosis-related neuropathic pain, resulting in substantial analgesic benefit and improved quality of life.