Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology
-
Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Mar 2019
ReviewPercutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation and other alternatives for perineural catheters for postoperative analgesia.
A perineural catheter with a continuous infusion of local anesthetic is an excellent option for postoperative analgesia; however, its limitations include limited duration of action (i.e., 3-7 days) as well as a risk of infection and dislodgement. Furthermore, these blocks may cause dense sensory and motor blockades that under certain circumstances may not be ideal. ⋯ In this review, we discuss the evidence for pPNS on postoperative acute pain management. Subsequently, we briefly discuss additional alternatives to continuous peripheral nerve blocks, including cryoanalgesia and liposomal bupivacaine.
-
Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Mar 2019
ReviewThoracic wall blocks: From paravertebral to retrolaminar to serratus to erector spinae and back again - A review of evidence.
A multitude of thoracic wall blocks have been described, including parasternal-intercostal plane, Pecs I and II, serratus anterior plane, paraspinal-intercostal plane, erector spinae plane blocks, and retrolaminar blocks. They are almost all fascial plane blocks, relying on passive spread of local anesthetic to target nerves within the plane or in adjacent tissue compartments. ⋯ They are best employed as part of multimodal analgesia with other systemic analgesics, rather than as sole anesthetic techniques. Catheters may be beneficial in situations where moderate-to-severe pain is expected for >12 h, although the optimal dosing regimen requires further investigation.
-
Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Mar 2019
ReviewIn search of the Holy Grail: Poisons and extended release local anesthetics.
Regional anesthesia has been advocated as adjunct to a multimodal analgesia regimen. The limited duration of the action of available local anesthetics limits their application. Catheters, perineural or IV adjuvants, or repetition of blocks are modalities available to prolong the analgesic benefit of LRA. ⋯ New extended release local anesthetic formulations may provide time-efficient and longer duration of analgesia with a single injection. Available data on liposomal bupivacaine are promising, and more recently, it has been FDA approved for use in interscalene brachial plexus block but not for other nerve blocks at this time. Several other new formulations and compounds, such as HTX-011, Neosaxitoxin, and SABER-Bupivacaine, are also being developed and tested for their safety and analgesic potential.
-
Nerve injury is a relatively rare but devastating complication of peripheral nerve blockade (PNB). Monitoring injection pressure during PNB is one method advocated to prevent injury by detecting needle tip placement in a noncompliant position (intraneural or abutting the epineurium). Animal studies show that gross neural damage and clinical injury are associated with injection pressures exceeding 15-20 psi. ⋯ Injection pressure monitoring has been shown to prevent injection against the brachial plexus roots or femoral nerve during peripheral nerve block. Multiple methods are available to monitor injection pressure, and most of them are inexpensive and easy to use. Large-scale registry database or pragmatic trials are indicated to show that injection pressure monitoring reduces injury in a patient setting.