Let Go’ technique in ultrasound guided Regional Anaesthesia

Abstract

Background: The local anaesthetic(LA) injection technique during ultrasound guided nerve blocks varies worldwide. This online poll was conceived to explore the current practice among the anaesthesiologists. Methodology: Two separate polls were created and posted at the same time with appropriate multiple choices in a closed Facebook group ‘The Anaesthetist’. Participants were allowed to take part in these online-based polls over a period of seven days. The responses were collected and put down in the Excel sheet to calculate absolute numbers and percentages. Results: Among the respondents, 63.45% of the ultrasound users keep hold on to the needle and let a trained assistant inject the LA while 14.61 % of the responders use ‘Let Go’ of the needle technique and inject the LA themselves. Amongst 248 ultrasound users, only one anaesthesiologist use Jedi grip but no one is currently using other grips described in the literature. Conclusion: LA injection technique varies among the anaesthesiologists throughout the globe. Majority of the anaesthesiologists let a trained assistant inject the LA and some inject the LA themselves. Keywords: Ultrasound, Regional Anaesthesia, Jedi grip, Bedforth grip, On-lock grip, ‘let-go’ of the needle, Single-handed injection technique, Online poll