Articles: nerve-block.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jun 2021
Automated text messaging follow-up for patients who receive peripheral nerve blocks.
Routine follow-up of patients who receive a nerve block for ambulatory surgery typically consists of a phone call from a regional anesthesia clinician. This process can be burdensome for both patients and clinicians but is necessary to assess the efficacy and complication rate of nerve blocks. ⋯ Given the wide availability of REDCap, we believe this automated text messaging system can be implemented in a variety of health systems at low cost with minimal technical expertise and will improve both the consistency of patient follow-up and the service efficiency of regional anesthesia practices.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Jun 2021
Avoiding the Internal Mammary Artery During Parasternal Blocks: Ultrasound Identification and Technique Considerations.
Fascial plane chest wall blocks are an integral component to optimal multimodal postoperative analgesia in breast and cardiothoracic surgery, facilitating faster functional recovery and earlier discharge. Pectoral nerves block and serratus plane block have been used to treat postsurgical pain after breast and cardiothoracic surgeries; however, they cannot be used to anesthetize the anterior chest wall. Ultrasound parasternal block, or pectointercostal fascial block and transversus thoracis muscle plane block are two novel ultrasound-guided anesthetic and analgesic techniques that block the anterior cutaneous branches T2 to T6 intercostal nerves, providing anesthesia and analgesia to the anterior chest wall. ⋯ For this reason, ultrasound parasternal block also could be performed by inexperienced anesthesiologists. Although ultrasound parasternal block is more superficial, its superiority in terms of safety is yet to be proven. Additional studies are warranted to validate the authors' hypothesis.