Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Oct 2023
Evaluating two approaches to the erector spinae plane block: an anatomical study.
Studies show variable spread with thoracic erector spinae plane (ESP) injections. Injection sites vary from lateral end of the transverse process (TP) to 3 cm from the spinous process, with many not describing the precise site of injection. This human cadaveric study examined dye spread of ultrasound-guided thoracic ESP block at two needle locations. ⋯ An ESP injection administered between TPs exhibits more extensive spread than a medial TP injection in a human cadaveric model.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Oct 2023
Free academic discourse and the law: the case of liposomal bupivacaine.
Liposomal bupivacaine has been the topic of intense academic debate over the past years culminating in an industry-initiated libel lawsuit against the American Society of Anesthesiologists and various other defendants. In this Daring Discourse, we first aim to provide a general overview of main themes in the ongoing controversy: (1) between-study heterogeneity, (2) the high number of negative high-quality reviews and meta-analyses, (3) publication bias in the context of an active role of industry and (4) difference between statistical and clinical significance. We then discuss the contents of the lawsuit, its potential implications and what the recent resolution of this lawsuit means for the future of research and the academic discourse on liposomal bupivacaine.