Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2012
Comparative StudyThe effects of fluid injection on lesion size during bipolar radiofrequency treatment.
The effect of preinjected fluid on bipolar radiofrequency (RF) lesion characteristics has not been investigated with conventional pain medicine equipment. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of preinjected fluid composition on lesion parameters. ⋯ Fluid composition influences success, alters lesion size, and could be an appropriate consideration when selecting treatment parameters for bipolar RF. The enhanced lesion size and improved odds of producing a successful lesion with increasing NaCl concentration suggest a method to enlarge lesion size in a controlled manner.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2012
Primary payer status is associated with the use of nerve block placement for ambulatory orthopedic surgery.
Although more than 30 million patients in the United States undergo ambulatory surgery each year, it remains unclear what percentage of these patients receive a perioperative nerve block. We reviewed data from the 2006 National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery to determine the demographic, socioeconomic, geographic, and clinical factors associated with the likelihood of nerve block placement for ambulatory orthopedic surgery. The primary outcome of interest was the association between primary method of payment and likelihood of nerve block placement. In addition, we examined the association between type of surgical procedures, patient demographics, and hospital characteristics with the likelihood of receiving a nerve block. ⋯ For patients receiving ambulatory orthopedic surgery in the United States, our results suggest that geographic and socioeconomic factors are associated with different likelihoods of perioperative peripheral nerve block placement.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2012
Near-infrared tracking system for epidural catheter placement: a feasibility study.
Epidural catheters are routinely used in regional and obstetric anesthesia. The flexible catheter is advanced without imaging control into the epidural space, and coiling or kinking of the catheter may occur, compromising the effectiveness of epidural anesthesia. Potentially near-infrared (NER) light detection may help, tracking advancement of the catheter in the epidural space. ⋯ Many variables such as obesity, paravertebral and extraforaminal catheter locations, and intervening bony structures can impede the application of NER technology for epidural catheter placements. Further optimization of the technology for clinical use is necessary.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2012
Incidence and effects of unintentional intraneural injection during ultrasound-guided subgluteal sciatic nerve block.
The present study was conducted to determine the incidence of unintentional intraneural injection during ultrasound-guided subgluteal sciatic nerve block using a low-frequency transducer. We also observed the effects of intraneural injection using ropivacaine and mepivacaine. ⋯ Unintentional intraneural injection occurred at an incidence rate of 16.3% for the ultrasound-guided subgluteal approach to the sciatic nerve. Intraneural injection of mepivacaine or ropivacaine hastened the onset of blockade but did not affect block duration, and it did not result in clinical neural injury in our small sample of patients.