Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2017
ReviewReporting of Design Features and Analysis Details in Randomized Clinical Trials of Procedural Treatments for Cancer Pain: An ACTTION Systematic Review.
The objective of this study was to assess the reporting of randomized clinical trials investigating procedural treatments (eg, nerve blocks, targeted drug delivery) for cancer pain, with a focus on aspects that are particularly challenging in these trials. ⋯ The goal of highlighting these deficiencies in reporting is to promote transparent reporting of details affecting the completion and interpretation of procedural cancer pain trials so that their quality can be more easily evaluated.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2017
ReviewUltrasound-Guided Interventional Procedures: Myofascial Trigger Points With Structured Literature Review.
Ultrasound-guided injections in pain medicine are a common intervention. They have been used to manage myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in different muscles of the body. The main objectives of this article were to review ultrasound-guided injection techniques used for treating MTrPs. We also summarize the anatomy and sonoanatomy of MTrPs using the upper trapezius muscle as an example.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2017
Case ReportsThe Erector Spinae Plane Block Provides Visceral Abdominal Analgesia in Bariatric Surgery: A Report of 3 Cases.
Postoperative pain after bariatric surgery can be significant and yet difficult to manage. These patients frequently have associated obstructive sleep apnea and are at risk of respiratory depression with opioid analgesia. Abdominal wall blocks such as the subcostal transversus abdominis plane block are not of significant benefit, probably in part because they provide only somatic analgesia. ⋯ Coupled with the fact that the erector spinae muscle and ESP extend down to the lumbar spine, this suggests that the ESP block could result in both visceral and somatic abdominal analgesia if the injection were performed at a lower thoracic level. We describe a series of 3 cases that illustrate the efficacy of bilateral ESP blocks performed at the level of the T7 transverse process for relieving visceral abdominal pain following bariatric surgery. Further investigation is recommended to establish the potential of the ESP block as an analgesic modality in abdominal surgery.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2017
Comparative StudyAdherence to a Multimodal Analgesic Clinical Pathway: A Within-Group Comparison of Staged Bilateral Knee Arthroplasty Patients.
Multimodal analgesic clinical pathways for joint replacement patients often include perineural catheters, but long-term adherence to these pathways has not yet been investigated. Our primary aim was to determine adherence rate to a knee arthroplasty clinical pathway for patients undergoing staged bilateral procedures. ⋯ For staged bilateral knee arthroplasty patients, 100% clinical pathway adherence including perineural catheters and multimodal analgesia is feasible despite multiple variables. We believe that patient-centered acute pain management requires consistent and reliable delivery of care.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2017
A Cadaveric Study of Ultrasound-Guided Subpectineal Injectate Spread Around the Obturator Nerve and Its Hip Articular Branches.
The femoral and obturator nerves are assumed to account for the primary nociceptive innervation of the hip joint capsule. The fascia iliaca compartment block and the so-called 3-in-1-block have been used in patients with hip fracture based on a presumption that local anesthetic spreads to anesthetize both the femoral and the obturator nerves. Evidence demonstrates that this presumption is unfounded, and knowledge about the analgesic effect of obturator nerve blockade in hip fracture patients presurgically is thus nonexistent. The objectives of this cadaveric study were to investigate the proximal spread of the injectate resulting from the administration of an ultrasound-guided obturator nerve block and to evaluate the spread around the obturator nerve branches to the hip joint capsule. ⋯ In cadavers, injection of 15 mL of methylene blue into the interfascial plane between the pectineus and the external obturator muscle effectively spreads proximally to reach the obturator canal, as well as the obturator nerve branches to the hip joint capsule and the accessory obturator nerve.