Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
Opioid use among veterans undergoing major joint surgery managed by a multidisciplinary transitional pain service.
Chronic postsurgical pain and opioid use is a problem among patients undergoing many types of surgical procedures. A multidisciplinary approach to perioperative pain management known as a transitional pain service (TPS) may lower these risks. ⋯ These data suggest that a TPS is an effective strategy for preventing new COU and reducing overall opioid use following orthopedic joint procedures in a Veterans Affairs hospital.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
CommentImages in anesthesiology: three safe, simple, and inexpensive methods to administer the sphenopalatine ganglion block.
The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block is a simple and valuable technique that was discovered over a century ago, but, unfortunately, very few anesthesiology providers are familiar with this block. After some of our recent publications, physicians from different countries have reached out to us requesting more specifics on how we perform our version of the block. In this report, we provide a brief history of the block and demonstrate our three effective, simple, readily available, and inexpensive methodologies with images. We are proud to share that our three SPG block techniques have so far effectively relieved patients of chronic migraines, acute migraines, tension headaches, moderate-to-severe back pain, and post-dural puncture headaches.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
CommentCaudal analgesia versus abdominal wall blocks for pediatric genitourinary surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Caudal block is a well-established technique for providing perioperative analgesia in pediatric genitourinary surgery, but abdominal wall blocks such as ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (II-IH) and transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block are increasingly being used. ⋯ This meta-analysis was limited by unclear risk of selection and performance biases and significant heterogeneity. In summary, II-IH and TAP block are a non-invasive and reasonable alternative to caudal analgesia in pediatric genitourinary surgery.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2020
Cadaveric study identifying clinical sonoanatomy for proximal and distal approaches of ultrasound-guided intercostobrachial nerve block.
The intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN) has significant anatomical variation. Localization of the ICBN requires an operator's skill. This cadaveric study aims to describe two simple ultrasound-guided plane blocks of the ICBN when it emerges at the chest wall (proximal approach) and passes through the axillary fossa (distal approach). ⋯ The proximal and distal ICBN blocks, using easily recognized sonoanatomical landmarks, provided consistent dye spread to the ICBN. We encourage further validation of these two techniques in clinical studies.