Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine back issues from September 2006:
Is There Any Need for Expanding the Perineural Space Before Catheter Placement in Continuous Femoral Nerve Blocks?
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objective: There is debate regarding the benefit of perineural space expansion before catheter placement in continuous femoral nerve block. This question is addressed in this prospective, comparative, and randomized study. Methods: Sixty patients scheduled for total knee ...
Local Anesthetics in Lipid-Depot Formulations-Neurotoxicity in Relation to Duration of Effect in a Rat Model
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible local neurotoxicity of a number of lipid-depot formulations of local anesthetics in relation to their duration of action in sciatic-nerve block. Methods: Formulations that contain 2%, 4%, 8%, 16%, 32%, or ...
Fluoroscopically Guided Epidural Block in the Thoracic and Lumbar Regions
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: Epidural block in the midthoracic region is difficult, even with fluoroscopically guided methods, because of the inability to view the interlaminar space on radiographs. We have, therefore, proposed fluoroscopically guided epidural block for the midthoracic region, as ...
Combined Lumbar-Plexus and Sciatic-Nerve Blocks: An Analysis of Plasma Ropivacaine Concentrations
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: Lumbar-plexus and sciatic-nerve blocks are commonly combined for lower-extremity anesthesia using large doses of ropivacaine. Limited information is available about the pharmacokinetics of this practice. We analyzed plasma ropivacaine concentrations after ...
Health-Related Quality of Life in Sacroiliac Syndrome: A Comparison to Lumbosacral Radiculopathy
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: This study attempts to assess the intensity and quality of pain and health-related quality of life in patients with sacroiliac syndrome and to compare those constructs to patients with lumbar radiculopathy. Methods: A retrospective review of patient records ...
Effect of Preoperative Epidural Morphine Administration on Desflurane Requirements During Gynecologic Surgery
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: The goal of this study is to examine the influence of epidural morphine on the end-tidal desflurane concentration titrated to maintain the bispectal index (BIS) values between 40 and 60 during gynecologic surgery. Methods: Forty patients undergoing ...
Single-Stimulation, Low-Volume Infraclavicular Plexus Block: Influence of the Evoked Distal Motor Response on Success Rate
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: We compared the success rate of single-injection infraclavicular plexus block by using electrically evoked radial, ulnar, or median nerve-type distal motor response to guide the injection of local anesthetic. Methods: Consecutive patients requiring surgery ...
Ultrastructure of Canine Meninges After Repeated Epidural Injection of S(+)-Ketamine
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background: The safety of ketamine when administered by the spinal route must be confirmed in various animal species before it is approved for use in humans. This study evaluates the ultrastructure of canine meninges after repeated doses of epidural S(+)-ketamine. Methods: Five dogs ...
The Sensitivity of Motor Response to Nerve Stimulation and Paresthesia for Nerve Localization As Evaluated by Ultrasound
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objective: Seeking paresthesia and obtaining a motor response to an electrical stimulus are the two most common methods of nerve localization for the performance of peripheral-nerve blocks. However, these two endpoints do not always correlate, and the actual sensitivity and ...
Ultrasound-Guided Lumbar Medial-Branch Block: A Clinical Study With Fluoroscopy Control
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: For diagnostic lumbar medial-branch blocks, fluoroscopic guidance is considered mandatory, but this technique comes with radiation exposure. The clinical feasibility of the ultrasound-guided lumbar medial-branch block has been demonstrated. We evaluated the success ...
No Differences Between 20, 30, or 40 mL Ropivacaine 0.5% in Continuous Lateral Popliteal Sciatic-Nerve Block
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the anesthetic and analgesic characteristics of the administration of an initial bolus of 20, 30, or 40 mL of ropivacaine 0.5% through a lateral popliteal sciatic catheter. Methods: Sixty patients scheduled for foot surgery ...
Ganglionic Local Opioid Application (GLOA) for Treatment of Chronic Headache and Facial Pain
Sep 01, 2006; ... Objective: This report describes the effects of ganglionic local opioid application (GLOA) in patients with chronic headache and persistent idiopathic facial pain. Case Report: We present 2 patients with chronic headaches and 1 patient with persistent idiopathic facial pain who were ...
Use of Sequential Electrical Nerve Stimuli (SENS) for Location of the Sciatic Nerve and Lumbar Plexus
Sep 01, 2006; ... Background and Objectives: Conventional electrical stimulation has been done by continuous adjustment of current amplitude at a single, set pulse duration (conventionally, 0.1 ms). This study evaluated a novel technique for nerve location by utilization of a peripheral-nerve stimulator (PNS) ...
Continuous Thoracic Paravertebral Block for Major Breast Surgery
Sep 01, 2006; ... As far back as 1977, it was stated that "Thoracic paravertebral block is now of more interest to historians than to practical anaesthetists,"1 but Eason and Wyatt2 then proposed a reappraisal of the block in 1979. Under the leadership of Greengrass and his colleagues3 in the United States of ...
The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Right Job After Residency
Sep 01, 2006; ... The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Right Job After Residency Koushik K. Shaw, M.D., and Joyesh K. Raj, M.D. McGraw-Hill, 2006, 139 pp., $20. The authors' preface states that the purpose of this book is to comprehensively provide a planning guide, as the end of residency approaches, for ...
Clinical Anesthesia, 5th Edition
Sep 01, 2006; ... Clinical Anesthesia, 5th Edition Paul G. Barash, Bruce F. Cullen, and Robert K. Stoelting Williams & Wilkins (2005), 1,595 pp., $179.00. The delivery of health care in the 21st century continues to break new barriers, and the science of anesthesiology keeps pace admirably. As such, a ...
Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook, Fourth Edition
Sep 01, 2006; ... Obstetric Anesthesia Handbook, Fourth Edition Sanjay Datta Springer (2006), 409 pp., $49.95. This handbook is the latest edition of a popular work and replaces the third edition from 2000. Like previous editions, this book is a single-author work, which typically results in greater ...
Epidural Hematoma in a Patient Receiving Epidural Analgesia and LMWH After Total-Knee Arthroplasty
Sep 01, 2006; ... To the Editor: Continuous epidural analgesia is commonly used for management of postoperative pain associated with total-joint replacement surgeries. No controlled studies are available that define the risk of neuraxial bleeding associated with the use of an epidural catheter for ...
Allergic Contact Dermatitis Caused by Ultrasonic Gel
Sep 01, 2006; ... To the Editor: The use of ultrasound imaging in the practice of anesthesia has been steadily increasing. Today, there are many hospitals in which high-resolution ultrasound is used for precise needle placement when performing regional anesthetics or central venous access. Ultrasonic gels ...
The Importance of Ultrasound Landmarks: A "Traceback" Approach Using the Popliteal Blood Vessels for Identification of the Sciatic Nerve
Sep 01, 2006; ... To the Editor: When peripheral nerve blocks are performed by use of ultrasound techniques, knowledge of relevant anatomy is of utmost importance, as when conventional approaches are used in regional anesthesia. The anesthesiologist must not only understand the regional anatomy and ...
Use of Radiographic Contrast to Confirm the Placement of a Sciatic Catheter in a Patient Presenting an Atypical Response to Neurostimulation
Sep 01, 2006; ... To the Editor: We would like to report the use of radiographic contrast to verify the correct placement of a sciatic catheter in a diabetic patient who presented an unusually high threshold to neurostimulation. Consent for publication of personal information was obtained according to our ...
A More Logical Sequence of Nerve Location When Performing Multiple-Injection Axillary Block/Reply to Drs. Grant and Coventry
Sep 01, 2006; ... To the Editor: We read with interest the editorial "Multiple Injections in Axillary Block: Where and How Many?"1 and agree with several of the points raised by the author. We unequivocally agree that 3 separate injections are required when axillary block is performed by use of either a ...
Introduction
Sep 01, 2006; ... Dear Colleagues, This supplement to Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine contains the abstracts of the (Best) Free Papers and Posters accepted for presentation at the XXVth Annual ESRA Congress 2006 in Monte Carlo, Monaco (6-9 September 2006). All submitted abstracts have been ...