Articles: nerve-block.
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Subarachnoid injection during a retrobulbar block is a rare complication, requiring prompt recognition and management of life-threatening respiratory and cardiac depression. This case report describes a patient who began to decompensate 2 minutes after receiving a retrobulbar block. Central nervous system symptoms progressed from restlessness and confusion to respiratory arrest and cardiac depression. ⋯ Causes of respiratory arrest and unconsciousness after retrobulbar block include severe anaphylactic reaction, intravascular absorption, a major cardiovascular event, and subarachnoid injection of local anesthetic. The patient's symptoms in the case presented here suggested that the local anesthetic gained access to the cerebrospinal fluid. Anesthetists should be cognizant of the need to monitor and treat serious complications whenever a retrobulbar block is utilized.
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Regional anesthesia · Jan 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialSciatic nerve block. A comparison of single versus double injection technique.
Two techniques, single versus double injection, for blocking the sciatic nerve via the classical (Labat) approach were prospectively evaluated for onset and efficacy of block in 50 adult patients undergoing lower extremity surgery. The tibial, common peroneal, and posterior femoral cutaneous nerves were evaluated at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 45 minutes after the initial injection of local anesthetic. Motor function was used to assess the block of the tibial and common peroneal nerves while pinprick response was used to assess block of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve. ⋯ The double injection technique for sciatic nerve block via the classical approach results in a more rapid onset and increased efficacy of block than that of the single injection technique.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jan 1994
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial[Post-tetanic count after 50 and 100 Hz tetanic stimulation for monitoring deep neuromuscular blockade with vecuronium].
For monitoring of vecuronium profound neuromuscular blockade post-tetanic count (PTC) following tetanic stimulation at frequency of 50 and 100 Hz was employed in 25 ASA I-II patients submitted to elective surgery, to evaluate the differences between the two patterns of stimulation and the possible clinical utility of the latter pattern of stimulation. The drugs employed for anaesthesia were: diazepam 0.15 mg kg-1 in premedication, thiopental 4-5 mg kg-1 for induction, suxamethonium 1.5 mg kg-1 for tracheal intubation. Anaesthesia was maintained with N2 + O2 (2:1). ⋯ The first dose of vecuronium (0.06 mg kg-1) was administered at recovery from suxamethonium (clinically evaluated) and the other doses (0.06 mg kg-1) when the third response to a train of four appeared. The results show that the PTC following 100 Hz tetanus was greater than the PTC following 50 Hz tetanic stimulation (P < 0.01). The results also show that PTC following 100 Hz tetanus leads to underestimate neuromuscular blockade; yet maybe it has any clinical employment in selected surgical situations such as middle ear and eye surgery, microvascular surgery, neurosurgery.
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Paracervical block during labor following normal, uncomplicated pregnancy is occasionally accompanied by fetal bradycardia. To evaluate whether a paracervical block with bupivacaine causes changes in the vascular resistance of uteroplacental and umbilicoplacental blood flow, a total of 12 singleton, uncomplicated pregnancies in active labor at the end of pregnancy were included to this study. By using pulsed color Doppler ultrasound techniques the pulsatility indices were measured from both uterine and umbilical arteries before, one minute and 20 minutes after a paracervical block with bupivacaine. ⋯ When the fetal bradycardia ceased the pulsatility indices returned to the levels at the beginning of the study. Paracervical block with bupivacaine in normal pregnancies without signs of chronic or acute fetal distress does not change the vascular resistance in the uterine or umbilical arteries. If fetal bradycardia develops, it seems to be due to the direct effect of bupivacaine on the fetus, mainly on the umbilical vessels.
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Sciatic nerve blocks were seldom used until recently. They apply to most surgical procedures on the lower limb and are often combined with a "3 in 1" block. ⋯ Sciatic nerve block can be obtained by different techniques. The choice of which being helped by some guidelines according to the patients characteristics and the surgical site.