Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2022
Evaluating the incidence of spinal cord injury after spinal cord stimulator implant: an updated retrospective review.
While spinal cord stimulator implant is an increasingly safe procedure, one of the most feared complications is spinal cord injury. Still, literature regarding its incidence remains highly variable. This retrospective analysis aims to evaluate the incidence of spinal cord injury after spinal cord stimulator implant using a large-scale claims database. ⋯ Overall, our results support the notion that spinal cord stimulator implant continues to be a safe procedure for chronic pain patients. However, risk factor mitigation strategies for the prevention of spinal cord injury after spinal cord stimulator implant should be undertaken prior to performing the procedure.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2022
Case ReportsCatheter-guided multilevel epidural blood patches in an adolescent boy.
There is increasing evidence for the use of multilevel epidural catheter-guided blood patches to treat spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks in adults. Yet, there are scarce data for their use in children. Furthermore, higher level epidural blood patches are uncommon in both adult and pediatric populations. ⋯ Multilevel catheter-guided blood patches have the potential to be administered to higher level spinal regions to the pediatric population suffering from multiple spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2022
Lidocaine infusions for refractory chronic migraine: a retrospective analysis.
Patients with refractory chronic migraine have poor quality of life. Intravenous infusions are indicated to rapidly 'break the cycle' of pain. Lidocaine infusions may be effective but evidence is limited. ⋯ Lidocaine infusions may be associated with short-term and medium-term pain relief in refractory chronic migraine. Prospective studies should confirm these results.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2022
Ultrasound-guided selective trunk block (SeTB): a cadaver anatomic study to evaluate the spread of dye after a simulated injection.
Recent reports suggest that a selective trunk block (SeTB) can produce sensorimotor blockade of the entire upper extremity, except for the T2 dermatome. There are no data demonstrating the anatomic mechanism of SeTB. This cadaver study aimed to evaluate the spread of an injectate after a simulated ultrasound-guided (USG) SeTB. ⋯ This cadaver study demonstrates that an USG SeTB consistently affects all the trunks and divisions of the brachial plexus, as well as the suprascapular nerve. This study also establishes that SeTB may not be phrenic nerve sparing. Future research to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SeTB as an all-purpose brachial plexus block technique for upper extremity surgery is warranted.