Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2019
ReviewGadolinium use for interventional pain procedures: where we are and where we are heading.
In recent years as the use of interventional pain procedures has soared, so too has outside and internal scrutiny. This scrutiny includes agreater emphasis on weighing the risks and benefits of procedures, increased surveillance for adverse events, and cost containment strategies. ⋯ In this issue of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, Benzon et al. report a series of patients with document edhypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast medium who were inadvertently administered iodine-based contrast without adverse consequences. In this article, we discuss the epidemiology of contrast-mediated adverse effects, the mechanistic basis for hypersensitivity reactions, the risks and benefits of various approaches in the patient with a documented contrast hypersensitivity reaction, and risk mitigation strategies.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2019
Evaluation of the B-Smart manometer and the CompuFlo computerized injection pump technology for accurate needle-tip injection pressure measurement during peripheral nerve blockade.
The exact mechanism of peripheral nerve blocks causing/leading to nerve injury remains controversial. Evidence from animal experiments suggests that intrafascicular injection resulting in high injection pressure has the potential to rupture nerve fascicles and may consequently cause permanent nerve injury and neurological deficits. The B-Smart (BS) in-line manometer and the CompuFlo (CF) computerized injection pump technology are two modalities used for monitoring pressure during regional anesthesia. This study sought to explore the accuracy of these two technologies in measuring needle-tip pressures in a simulated environment. ⋯ Future research is needed to explore in-vivo performance and evaluate whether either of these devices can impact on clinical outcomes.