• Claus B Christiansen, Mikkel H Madsen, Christian Rothe, Asger M Andreasen, Lars H Lundstrøm, and Lange Kai H W KHW Department of Anaesthesiology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hillerød, Denmark..
• Department of Anaesthesiology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Hillerød, Denmark.
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2020 Feb 1; 64 (2): 238-244.

BackgroundSciatic nerve blocks are used for many orthopaedic procedures on the knee, lower leg, foot and ankle. However, as nerve block durations vary considerably, the timing of supplemental analgesia is challenging. Therefore, knowledge on the effect of local anaesthetic (LA) dose on block duration is important to outweigh the benefits of increasing LA dose against the risk of LA systemic toxicity. In this randomized, double-blind trial, we aimed to explore the relationship between the volume of ropivacaine 0.2% and sciatic nerve block duration. We hypothesized that increasing LA volume would prolong block duration.MethodsWe randomized 60 healthy volunteers to receive one of five volumes of ropivacaine 0.2%: 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 mL. We used an ultrasound-guided, catheter-based technique targeting the sciatic nerve in the infragluteal region. The primary outcome was sensory block duration defined as the time of insensitivity to a cold stimulus. Intergroup differences were tested using one-way ANOVA.ResultsMean (SD) sensory block durations for the tibial nerve (TN) with increasing volume were: 9.3 hours (1.7), 10.4 hours (1.6), 9.7 hours (2.9), 10.7 hours (2.8) and 9.9 hours (2.6). Mean (SD) sensory block durations for the common peroneal nerve (CPN) were: 10.6 hours (2.7), 11.9 hours (1.5), 11.0 hours (3.3), 13.2 hours (3.7), and 13.5 hours (6.1). There were no intergroup differences (P = .67 [TN]; P = .25 [CPN]).ConclusionWe found no effect of increasing the volume of ropivacaine 0.2% from 5 to 30 mL on sensory sciatic nerve block duration.© 2019 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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