Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Transition from nerve stimulator to sonographically guided axillary brachial plexus anesthesia in hand surgery: block quality and patient satisfaction during the transition period.
Sonographic guidance for peripheral nerve anesthesia has proven increasingly successful in clinical practice; however, fears that a change to sonographically guided regional anesthesia may impair the block quality and operating room work flow persist in certain units. In this retrospective cohort study, block quality and patient satisfaction during the transition period from nerve stimulator to sonographic guidance for axillary brachial plexus anesthesia in a tertiary referral center were investigated. ⋯ Transition from nerve stimulator to sonographic guidance for axillary brachial plexus blocks did not change block performance times or success rates. Patient satisfaction was improved even during the early institutional transition period.