Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
-
Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jun 2021
Validation of the soft-embalmed Thiel cadaver as a high-fidelity simulator of pressure during targeted nerve injection.
Although administration of regional anesthesia nerve blocks has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, training opportunities in regional anesthesia have reduced. Simulation training may enhance skills, but simulators must be accurate enough for trainees to engage in a realistic way-for example, detection of excessive injection pressure. The soft-embalmed Thiel cadaver is a life-like, durable simulator that is used for dedicated practice and mastery learning training in regional anesthesia. We hypothesized that injection opening pressure in perineural tissue, at epineurium and in subepineurium were similar to opening pressures measured in experimental animals, fresh frozen cadavers, glycol soft-fix cadavers and patients. ⋯ We conclude that the soft-embalmed Thiel cadaver is a realistic simulator of injection opening pressure.
-
Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jun 2021
CommentReal-time ultrasound-guided low thoracic epidural catheter placement: technical consideration and fluoroscopic evaluation.
Thoracic epidural analgesia can significantly reduce acute postoperative pain. However, thoracic epidural catheter placement is challenging. Although real-time ultrasound (US)-guided thoracic epidural catheter placement has been recently introduced, data regarding the accuracy and technical description are limited. Therefore, this prospective observational study aimed to assess the success rate and describe the technical considerations of real-time US-guided low thoracic epidural catheter placement. ⋯ Real-time US guidance appears to be a feasible option for facilitating thoracic epidural insertion. Whether or not this technique improves the procedural success and quality compared with landmark-based techniques will require additional study.