Article Tags: Regional Anesthesia

A Prospective Cohort Study to Evaluate Needle Passes Using a Portable Ultrasound Device versus Traditional Landmark Approach for Epidural Anesthesia in a Busy Obstetric Tertiary Care Center

Antonio Gonzalez Fiol; Pedro Acevedo Rodriguez; Xiwen Zhao; Robert Gaiser; Adriana Herrera; Aymen Alian – Despite its many cited benefits, ultrasound guidance for neuraxial procedures is not widespread in anesthesiology. Some cited limitations include device cost and accessibility. We test the hypothesis that a handheld and relatively inexpensive ultrasound can improve neuraxial proficiency (e.g., decreased needle manipulations and block time). This prospective study compared the number of needle passes, redirections, and procedural time between epidural placed with a handheld ultrasound versus landmarks.

Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Blocks: Suggested Procedural Guidelines for Emergency Physicians

Joseph R. Brown, MD; Andrew J. Goldsmith, MD, MBA; Alexis LaPietra DO, FACEP; Jose L. Zeballos, MD; Kamen V. Vlassakov, MD; Alexander B. Stone, MD; R. Starr Knight, MD; Jennifer Carnell, MD; Arun Nagdev, MD – Acute pain is one of the most frequent, and yet one of the most challenging, complaints physicians encounter in the emergency department (ED). Currently, opioids are one of several pain medications given for acute pain, but given the long-term side effects and potential for abuse, alternative pain regimens are sought.