AANA journal
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Use of a simple forearm tourniquet as an adjunct to an intravenous regional block.
Intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA) is a well-recognized technique for producing anesthesia during surgical procedures of the extremities. It has been suggested that the application of a tourniquet to the forearm may improve the quality of the block. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the application of a forearm tourniquet would accelerate onset time and improve the density and quality of an intravenous regional block. ⋯ Paired t tests were used to examine differences between groups on the variables studied. It was noted that the arm with the tourniquet had a shorter time for the onset of anesthesia (P = .0008) and had lower 10-minute VAS tolerance (P = .0469). This investigation suggests that the application of a simple forearm tourniquet as an adjunct to IVRA provides a more rapid onset of anesthesia than when no tourniquet is applied and may improve the density and quality of the block.