Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Oct 2018
ReviewGastric Ultrasound for the Regional Anesthesiologist and Pain Specialist.
This article in our series on point-of-care ultrasound (US) for the regional anesthesiologist and pain management specialist describes the emerging role of gastric ultrasonography. Although gastric US is a relatively new point-of-care US application in the perioperative setting, its relevance for the regional anesthesiologist and pain specialist is significant as our clinical practice often involves providing deep sedation without a secured airway. Given that pulmonary aspiration is a well-known cause of perioperative morbidity and mortality, the ability to evaluate for NPO (nil per os) status and risk stratify patients scheduled for anesthesia is a powerful skill set. ⋯ In this review, we will cover the relevant scanning technique and the desired views for gastric US. We provide a methodology for interpretation of findings and for guiding medical management for adult patients. We also summarize the current literature on specific patient populations including obstetrics, pediatrics, and severely obese subjects.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Oct 2018
Rhomboid Intercostal and Subserratus Plane Block: A Cadaveric and Clinical Evaluation.
Fascial plane blocks are rapidly emerging to provide safe, feasible alternatives to epidural analgesia for thoracic and abdominal pain. We define a new option for chest wall and upper abdominal analgesia, termed the rhomboid intercostal and subserratus plane (RISS) block. The RISS tissue plane extends deep to the erector spinae muscle medially and deep to the serratus anterior muscle laterally. We describe a 2-part proof-of-concept study to validate the RISS block, including a cadaveric study to evaluate injectate spread and a retrospective case series to assess dermatomal coverage and analgesic efficacy. ⋯ Our preliminary cadaveric and clinical data suggest that RISS block anesthetizes the lateral cutaneous branches of the thoracic intercostal nerves and can be used in multiple clinical settings for chest wall and upper abdominal analgesia.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Oct 2018
Hypertonic Sodium Chloride Preinjectate Increases In Vivo Radiofrequency Ablation Size: Histological and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings.
Emphasis has been placed on methods to enlarge monopolar radiofrequency (RF) lesion size for pain management. Ex vivo research has suggested that fluid modulation may be an effective method to enlarge lesion zone. To date, these findings have not been confirmed in vivo. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hypertonic saline on in vivo lesion size through both histological and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis. A secondary purpose was to validate in vivo characterization of RF lesions using contrast-enhanced MRI. ⋯ This study validates the ability of hypertonic saline to increase in vivo RF lesion size. With further refinement, MRI may be a viable method to assess RF lesion size.