Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2003
Lateral branch blocks as a treatment for sacroiliac joint pain: A pilot study.
Pain arising from the sacroiliac (SI) joint is a common cause of low back pain for which there is no universally accepted, long-term treatment. Previous studies have shown radiofrequency (RF) procedures to be an effective treatment for other types of spinal pain. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of reducing SI joint pain by percutaneous RF lesioning of the nerves innervating the SI joint. ⋯ In patients with SI joint pain who respond to L4-5 dorsal rami and S1-3 LBB, RF denervation of these nerves appears to be an effective treatment. Randomized, controlled trials are needed to further evaluate this procedure.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialUsefulness of pre-emptive peribulbar block in pediatric vitreoretinal surgery: a prospective study.
Vitreoretinal (VR) surgery with or without scleral buckling is associated with significant postoperative pain and emesis in adults, and recent studies have addressed the effect of retro or peribulbar block on these parameters. VR surgery in children has received little attention regarding the incidence of pain and emesis, and the role of regional anesthesia in modifying these parameters. In this study, we compared peribulbar block with conventional opioid analgesia in children undergoing VR surgery. ⋯ Peribulbar block appears to be a safe and clinically superior alternative to intravenous opioid for pediatric VR surgery.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2003
Delivery rate accuracy of portable, bolus-capable infusion pumps used for patient-controlled continuous regional analgesia.
Portable patient-controlled pumps used for perineural local anesthetic infusion appear to be gaining acceptance and are used for an increasing number of medically unsupervised ambulatory patients. The infusion rate accuracy and reliability of these pumps, which allow patient-controlled boluses of potentially toxic medication, has not been independently investigated. We performed this laboratory study to define the flow-rate accuracy, reliability, and profiles of various portable bolus-capable infusion pumps and varied several factors that may influence pump performance. ⋯ These results suggest that factors such as flow-rate accuracy and consistency, infusion profile, and temperature sensitivity should be taken into consideration when choosing a portable infusion pump for local anesthetic administration.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialFemoral block provides superior analgesia compared with intra-articular ropivacaine after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction of the knee is a painful procedure requiring intensive postoperative pain management. This prospective study investigates analgesic quality after a femoral block as compared with intra-articular injection of local anesthetic. ⋯ Compared with intra-articular injection of local anesthetic, femoral nerve block (FNB) provides better analgesia and allows a significant morphine-sparing effect after ACL repair.