Articles: nerve-block.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialScalp nerve blocks decrease the severity of pain after craniotomy.
Up to 80% of patients report moderate to severe pain after craniotomy. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of scalp block for decreasing postoperative pain in brain surgery. Thirty patients scheduled for supratentorial craniotomy were enrolled. They were randomly divided into two groups: Ropivacaine (scalp block with 20 mL of ropivacaine 0.75%) and Saline (scalp block with 20 mL of saline 0.9%). Anesthesia was standardized. The scalp block was performed after skin closure and before awakening. Postoperative pain was assessed at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48 h by using a 10-cm visual analog scale. Analgesia was provided with sub- cutaneous codeine as requested by the patient. Average visual analog scale scores were higher in the Saline group as compared with Ropivacaine (3.7 +/- 2.4 vs 2.0 +/- 1.6; P = 0.036). The total dose of codeine did not differ, nor did the duration of time before the first dose of codeine was required in the Ropivacaine (571 +/- 765 min) versus Saline (319 +/- 409 min; P = 0.17) group. In conclusion, we found that postoperative scalp block decreases the severity of pain after craniotomy and that this effect is long lasting, possibly through a preemptive mechanism. ⋯ Up to 80% of patients report moderate to severe pain after craniotomy. This randomized double-blinded study demonstrated that ropivacaine scalp block decreases the severity of pain after supratentorial craniotomy.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2001
Comparative StudyA comparative study of general anesthesia, intravenous regional anesthesia, and axillary block for outpatient hand surgery: clinical outcome and cost analysis.
IV regional anesthesia can offer a more favorable patient recovery profile and shorter postoperative nursing care time and hospital discharge time than an isoflurane-based general anesthetic or brachial plexus block technique for hand surgery.
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Case Reports
Interscalene brachial plexus anesthesia for shoulder surgery: report of a complicated intraoperative course.
We present a case of abrupt hemodynamic and mental status changes that occurred during shoulder surgery. During interscalene anesthesia for rotator cuff repair, there was abrupt onset of altered mental status and hemodynamic changes, which had a variety of possible contributing causes. Complete recovery occurred during care in the post-anesthesia care unit. A variety of physiologic changes can occurred during interscalene anaesthesia for shoulder surgery, which require prompt identification and management.