Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Aug 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialComparison of Touhy and Quincke needles on intravascular injection rate in lumbar transforaminal epidural block: a randomized prospective trial.
Transforaminal epidural steroid injection is widely used in clinical practice to effectively deliver injectate into the ventral epidural space. Complications associated with intravascular injection such as spinal cord infarction and paraplegia can occur during transforaminal epidural steroid injection. To improve the safety of the procedure, avoidance of intravascular injection is crucial, for which appropriate needle selection is important. The primary aim of this study was to compare intravascular injection rates during transforaminal epidural steroid injection between commonly used Quincke and Tuohy needles. ⋯ In conclusion, Tuohy needles had a lower intravascular injection rate and higher medial and ventral epidural spreading rates than Quincke needles.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Aug 2021
Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia: feasibility and effectiveness of teaching via telesimulation in Ethiopia.
Acute pain management in resource-poor countries remains a challenge. Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is a cost-effective way of delivering analgesia in these settings. However, for financial and logistical reasons, educational workshops are inaccessible to many physicians in these environments. Telesimulation provides a way of teaching across distance by using simulators and video-conferencing software to connect instructors and students worldwide. We conducted a prospective study to determine the feasibility of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia teaching via telesimulation in Ethiopia. ⋯ Teaching ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia of the femoral nerve remotely via telesimulation is feasible. Telesimulation can greatly improve the accessibility of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia teaching to physicians in remote areas.