Articles: nerve-block.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2002
Case ReportsInterscalene and infraclavicular block for bilateral distal radius fracture.
Brachial plexus blockade is a suitable technique for surgery of the forearm, because it provides good intraoperative anesthesia as well as prolonged postoperative analgesia when long-acting local anesthetics are used. However, simultaneous blockade of both upper extremities has rarely been performed (1), because local anesthetic toxicity caused by the amount of drug needed to achieve an efficient block on both sides may be a problem. We report a case of successful bilateral brachial plexus block with ropivacaine in a patient with bilateral distal radius fracture, with each fracture requiring an open osteosynthesis. ⋯ This case report presents the performance of a simultaneous blockade of both upper extremities in a patient who sustained a bilateral distal radius fracture. The patient was known to be difficult to intubate and to have a severe hypersensitivity to opioids.
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Studies in normal volunteers have demonstrated that the lateral atlanto-axial joints (C1-2) are capable of causing pain in the occiput, but few clinical studies have validated this source of occipital headache. The present study tested the null hypothesis that the lateral atlanto-axial joints are not a common source of occipital headache. ⋯ The clinical features used to select patients for blocks, however, had a positive predictive value of only 60%. Further study of headaches from C1-2 seems justified in order to establish more definitively the prevalence of this condition and how it might become better recognized in practice.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Belg · Jan 2002
Case ReportsAcute toxicity of local anesthetic ropivacaine and mepivacaine during a combined lumbar plexus and sciatic block for hip surgery.
Hip fracture is a common pathology in elderly patients. Intercurrent diseases, mainly cardiac and respiratory, often result in significant morbidity and mortality. Anesthesia for hip fracture can be provided by general or regional techniques. ⋯ All signs of toxicity disappeared after injection of midazolam and atropine, intubation and 100% oxygen ventilation. We decided to proceed with surgery. The postoperative course was uncomplicated and made a full recovery.
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Chronic low back pain secondary to involvement of the facet joints is a common problem. Facet joints have been recognized as potential sources of back pain since 1911. Multiple authors have described distributions of pain patterns of facet joint pain. ⋯ Multiple studies utilizing controlled diagnostic blocks have established the prevalence of lumbar facet joint involvement in patients with chronic low back pain, as ranging from 15% to 52%, based on type of population and setting studied. Long-term therapeutic benefit has been reported from three types of interventions in managing lumbar facet joint pain, including intraarticular injections, medial branch blocks and neurolysis of medial branches. This review will discuss chronic low back of facet joint origin and covers anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and various aspects related to treatment, including clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness, technical aspects and complications.