Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 2011
Review Case Reports Comparative StudyStroke, regional anesthesia in the sitting position, and hypotension: a review of 4169 ambulatory surgery patients.
Despite frequent incidence of hypotension, no cases of stroke were observed in this audit of 4,169 shoulder surgeries performed in the beach-chair position. Notably though, 97% of the cases were performed under brachial plexus block with intravenous sedation rather than a general or relaxant technique.
The authors estimate the upper limit incidence of stroke in the sitting position under regional anaesthesia as 1 in 1,429 (0.07%).
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyCatheter orifice configuration influences the effectiveness of continuous peripheral nerve blockade.
We investigated perineural catheter threading distance and orifice configuration during continuous interscalene analgesia. ⋯ These results suggest that multiorifice catheters provide superior intermittent bolus continuous peripheral nerve blockade compared with end-hole catheters. For anterolateral approach interscalene catheter placement, there is minimal benefit, either way, to 2.5- or 5-cm blind catheter advancement.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 2011
Comparative StudyHigh-resolution ultrasound accurately identifies the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve at the midarm level: a clinical anatomic study.
The present prospective volunteer study was designed to describe a technique for ultrasound identification of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve (MACN) and a technique for ultrasound-guided blockade of this sensory nerve of the upper limb. ⋯ The results of this investigation enable selective blockade of the MACN via ultrasound. Moreover, our data provide insight regarding the specific anatomic course and the integrity of this sensory nerve, which could be used for plastic and reconstructive surgical indications and for diagnosis of nerve injury.