• Nathaniel A Bryan, Jeffrey D Swenson, Patrick E Greis, and Robert T Burks.
• Department of Orthopedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. nab1970@hotmail.com
• J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2007 Jul 1;16(4):388-95.

AbstractIndwelling interscalene catheters are utilized for inpatient postoperative pain control after shoulder surgery. Improved medical equipment and advanced techniques may allow safe and efficacious outpatient use. One hundred and forty-four consecutive indwelling interscalene catheter placements were reviewed to determine adverse events, complications, and efficacy. Real-time ultrasound-guided catheter placement technique is described. Post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) narcotic consumption and last recorded pain score were reviewed to gauge efficacy. The catheter placement technique was 98% successful. There were 14 (9.7%) minor adverse events including inadequate analgesia (8), accidental catheter removal (4) of disconnection (1), and shortness of breath (1). The single complication (0.7%) was a small apical pneumothorax. The average PACU narcotic consumption in intravenous morphine equivalents was 1.7 mg. The average last recorded PACU pain score on a scale of 1 to 10 was 0.6. Catheter placement under real-time ultrasound guidance is accurate. Outpatient use of indwelling interscalene catheters is safe and efficacious.

27 keywords...

hide…