Articles: nerve-block.
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Oct 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialContinuous epidural or intercostal analgesia following thoracotomy: a prospective randomized double-blind clinical trial.
Pain following thoracotomy is frequently associated with clinically important abnormalities of pulmonary function. The aim of the current study was to compare the efficacy of continuous thoracic epidural analgesia (EDA) to continuous intercostal (IC) block for postoperative pain and pulmonary function in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. ⋯ The results of the present study show that following thoracotomy in the early postoperative period continuous EDA is a better pain relieving method than continuous IC block, as indicated by the VAS scores.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2003
Peripheral nerve blocks for anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia.
Perioperative analgesia is a major concern for the patient and for the anesthesiologist, whose task is to avoid pain and all related complications on immediate outcome and healing. Regional anesthesia, alone or combined with general anesthesia, is becoming a preferred technique in a variety of surgical procedures. There is increasing interest in peripheral nerve blocks, single or continuous, mainly for perioperative treatment of unilateral surgery. Specificity of analgesic area combined with decreased complications, including spinal or epidural hematoma, urinary retention, or hemodynamic alterations, are advantages of the peripheral nerve block over more central neural blocks. ⋯ Possibilities afforded by the use of peripheral nerve blocks mainly consist of prolonged analgesia, selective area of action, and fewer collateral effects when compared with general anesthesia or more central neural blockade. Introduction of new devices and new techniques are increasing, as evidenced by the large number of studies which have appeared in the literature during the past year.
-
Facet or zygapophysial joint blocks are used extensively in the evaluation of chronic spinal pain. However, there is a continuing debate about the value and validity of facet joint blocks in the diagnosis of chronic spinal pain. The value of diagnostic facet joint injections may have been overlooked in the medical literature. ⋯ The diagnostic accuracy of controlled local anesthetic facet joint blocks is high in the diagnosis of chronic spinal pain.
-
In this review, emphasis is placed on adjuvant drugs that are already in clinical use. The list of adjuvants studied during the review period includes adrenaline, clonidine, ketamine, neostigmine, nondepolarizing muscle relaxants, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Some future aspects are considered in a couple of experimental studies on slow-release local anaesthetic formulations. ⋯ Adrenaline and opioids may be regarded as the best investigated and most important adjuvants in regional anaesthesia. Other drugs, such as clonidine and neostigmine, may prolong analgesia in various regional anaesthetic techniques, but possible side effects may limit their clinical application. Further development is needed concerning extra-long acting analgesic formulations.
-
Radiofrequency heat lesioning has been advocated to prolong the duration of therapeutic effect of lumbar sympathetic block in Complex Region Pain Syndrome (CRPS) of the lower extremity. Prior to radiofrequency lesioning of the lumbar sympathetic trunk, sensory and motor stimulation may be used to verify that the active needle tip is not adjacent to a spinal nerve to avoid unwanted neural injury. However, the value of sensory stimulation to aid in precise needle positioning at the desired target remains controversial. ⋯ Motor stimulation did not occur up to the maximum voltage tested (2.0 V at 2 Hz) Sensory stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic trunk may be used to aid in localization of the active tip of the radiofrequency needle, in preparation for lesioning. A dermatomal sensory pattern was observed, suggesting that afferent sensory fibers travel in the lumbar sympathetic trunk. The implications of this observation for understanding the mechanism of CRPS-related pain are discussed.