Peripheral Regional Anesthesia Research Articles

Optimizing peripheral regional anaesthesia: strategies for single shot and continuous blocks.

Regional anaesthesia is increasingly prominent within anaesthesia, offering alternative analgesic options amidst concerns over opioid-based analgesia. Since Halsted's initial description, the field has burgeoned, with ultrasound visualization revolutionizing local anaesthetic spread assessment, leading to the development of numerous novel techniques. The benefits of regional anaesthesia have gained increasing evidence to support their application, leading to changes within training curricula. Consequently, regional anaesthesia is at a defining moment, embracing the development of core skills for the general anaesthesiologist, whilst also continuing the advancement of the specialty. Recent priority setting projects have focussed attention on key aspects of regional anaesthesia delivery, including pain management, conduct and efficacy, education, and technological innovation. Developments in our current understanding of anatomy and pharmacology, combined with strategies for optimizing the conduct and maximizing efficacy of techniques, minimizing complications, and enhancing outcomes are explored. In addition, advancements in education and training methodologies and the integration of progress in novel technologies will be reviewed. This review highlights recent scientific advances in optimizing both single-shot and continuous peripheral regional anaesthesia techniques. By synthesizing these developments, this review offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of regional anaesthesia, aiming to improve clinical practice and patient care.

The potentiating effect of intravenous dexamethasone upon preemptive pudendal block analgesia for hypospadias surgery in children managed with Snodgrass technique: a randomized controlled study

IntroductionEvidence regarding the potentiating effects of intravenous dexamethasone on peripheral regional anesthesia in children is sparse. The objective of the current study was to investigate the potentiating effect of intravenous dexamethasone upon pudendal block during surgical correction of hypospadias using Snodgrass technique.MethodsThe study consisted of a monocentric, randomized controlled, double-blinded study. Patients were randomized to receive either intravenous dexamethasone 0.15 mg.kg− 1 (D group) or a control solution (C group). Both groups received standardized anesthesia including a preemptive pudendal block performed after the induction of anesthesia. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients needing rescue analgesia. Secondary outcomes were other pain outcomes over the first 24 postoperative hours.ResultsOverall, 70 patients were included in the study. Age were 24 [24; 36] and 26 [24; 38] months in the D and C groups, respectively (p = 0.4). Durations of surgery were similar in both groups (60 [30; 60], p = 1). The proportion of patients requiring rescue analgesia was decreased in the D group (23% versus 49%, in D and C groups respectively, p = 0.02). The first administration of rescue analgesia was significantly delayed in the D group. Postoperative pain was improved in the D group between 6 and 24 h after surgery. Opioid requirements and the incidence of vomiting did not significantly differ between groups.ConclusionAssociating intravenous dexamethasone (0.15 mg.kg− 1) to pudendal block during hypospadias surgery improves pain control over the first postoperative day. Further studies are needed in order to confirm these results.ClinicalTrials.gov IdentifierNCT03902249.A. What is already knowndexamethasone has been found to potentiate analgesia obtained with regional anesthesia in children.B. What this article addsintravenous dexamethasone was found to improve analgesia with a preemptive pudendal block during hypospadias surgery.C. Implications for translationresults of this study indicate that intravenous dexamethasone could be used as an adjunct to pudendal block.

The Impact of Regional Anesthesia in Masking Acute Compartment Syndrome after Limb Trauma.

Regional anesthesia has shown to be successful in controlling major pain in trauma patients. However, the possibility of masking acute compartment syndrome (ACS) after peripheral nerve blocks for limb injuries is still controversially discussed. Therefore, we aimed to summarize the current literature regarding this topic to shed light on the impact of peripheral regional anesthesia on the diagnosis of ACS in trauma patients. We searched Pubmed, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library for literature following the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. The analysis of these reports was included in the context of the current literature concerning this topic. We found no (randomized) studies, and only six case reports dealing with the impact of peripheral nerve blocks and ACS in patients after a limb trauma met our criteria and were included in our review. Only one reported a delay in the diagnosis of ACS. In most of the cases (5 of 6), the breakthrough pain, despite the nerve block, proved to be a good indicator of a developing ACS. However, despite some narrative articles about the topic including some recommendations about the possibly safe use of regional anesthesia techniques for limb trauma, there is still no international consensus and only one national guideline focusing on the possibly safe use of peripheral nerve blocks in trauma patients at risk of ACS. After reviewing the respective literature, we consider that intra-articular analgesia, sensory blocks, fascial plane blocks and low-concentration continuous peripheral nerve blocks are effective for analgesia and a low-risk analgesia tool for trauma and postsurgical patients at risk of ACS due to the fact that they do not lead to a dense block. Finally, we summarized suggestions based on the results of the literature for the different regional anesthesia modalities in these patients in a table to facilitate the use of these techniques.

Regional anaesthesia for postoperative pain management following laparoscopic, visceral, non-oncological surgery a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Postoperative pain management following laparoscopic, non-oncological visceral surgery in adults is challenging. Regional anaesthesia could be a promising component in multimodal pain management. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis with GRADE assessment.Primary outcomes were postoperative acute pain intensity at rest/during movement after 24h, the number of patients with block-related adverse events and the number of patients with postoperative paralytic ileus. 82 trials were included. Peripheral regional anaesthesia combined with general anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia may result in a slight reduction of pain intensity at rest at 24h (mean difference (MD) -0.72 points; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.91 to -0.54; I2=97%; low-certainty evidence), which was not clinically relevant. The evidence is very uncertain regarding the effect on pain intensity during activity at 24h (MD -0.8 points; 95%CI -1.17 to -0.42; I2= 99%;very low-certainty evidence) and on the incidence of block-related adverse events. In contrast, neuraxial regional analgesia combined with general anaesthesia (versus general anaesthesia) may reduce postoperative pain intensity at rest in a clinical relevant matter (MD -1.19 points; 95%CI -1.99 to -0.39; I2 = 97%; low-certainty evidence), but the effect is uncertain during activity(MD -1.13 points; 95%CI -2.31 to 0.06; I2= 95%; very low-certainty evidence). There is uncertain evidence, that neuraxial regional analgesia combined with general anaesthesia (versus general anaesthesia) increases the risk for block-related adverse events (relative risk (RR) 5.11; 95%CI 1.13 to 23.03; I2= 0%; very low-certainty evidence). This meta-analysis confirms that regional anaesthesia might be an important part of multimodal postoperative analgesia in laparoscopic visceral surgery, e.g. in patients at risk for severe postoperative pain, and with large differences between surgical procedures and settings. Further research is required to evaluate the use of adjuvants and the additional benefit of regional anaesthesia in ERAS programmes. PROSPERO CRD42021258281.

The impact of biological sex in peripheral nerve blockade: A prospective pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and morphometric study in volunteers.

The impact of biological sex in peripheral regional anaesthesia is largely unknown. We therefore designed a prospective study in volunteers to investigate the impact of biological sex on pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and morphometric characteristics for peripheral nerve blockade. The initial study plan was powered to include 90 volunteers to find a difference of 35 min in duration of sensory block (primary outcome variable) with 80% power and alpha error at 5%. After discussions in ethical review, a pilot study of 2 x 12 volunteers from each sex were studied. Female and male volunteers received ultrasound guided nerve blockade with 3.0 mL ropivacaine 7.5 mg mL-1. Sensory duration of blockade, as the primary outcome, was evaluated by pinprick testing. Secondary outcomes were sensory onset time of blockade, pharmacokinetic characteristics and the visibility of ulnar nerves using ultrasound. Analyses included Mann-Whitney U-statistics with P<0.05 (two-sided) as significant. After 24 participants, the median (IQR) duration of sensory blockade was 450 (420; 503) min in women and 480 (450; 510) min in men (P = 0.49). Sensory onset time of blockade, and ultrasound visibility of nerves were also similar between the study groups. The total drug exposure across time (AUC0-infinity) was significantly higher in women (P = 0.017). After a the planned power re-analysis after these 24 study paticipants, which suggested that > 400 subjects would be required with 80% power and alpha error of 5% to find significance for the primary outcome parameter for marginal differences, we terminated the study at this point. We did not detect significant differences between female and male study participants in terms of pharmacodynamic and morphometric characteristics after ultrasound guided ulnar nerve blocks. Women did show significantly greater pharmacokinetic ropivacaine exposures. The results of this study indicate that peripheral regional block pharmacodynamic characteristics are independent of the biological sex, whereas pharmacokinetic parameters are sex-dependent.

Peripheral regional anaesthesia in an adult with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome.

Peripheral regional anaesthesia in an adult with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome.

Regional anesthesia for hip surgery in children: A review

Hip joint diseases are one of the most common and difficult problems in pediatric orthopedics, often requiring surgical treatment. In children, intra- and postoperative analgesia after hip surgery is more conservative and limited to epidural anesthesia, which has known disadvantages and limitations, despite the high quality of pain relief. Peripheral regional blocks in hip surgery are widespread in adults. Ultrasound navigation makes peripheral blockades safer and more effective. This largely influenced the spread of their use in children and contributed to the introduction of new methods of planar blockades into practice. The authors analyzed studies on the efficacy and safety of modern methods of peripheral regional blockade used in children during hip surgery. The literature search was conducted in the eLibrary, PubMed, and Scopus databases. By using keywords, 750 literature sources were found, and 65 sources relevant to the purpose of the study were included in the review. The lumbar plexus block and fascia iliaca block are the most studied regional techniques in children, which are not inferior in analgesic efficacy to lumbar epidural and caudal anesthesia. A new and promising method of regional anesthesia of the hip is the pericapsular nerve group block, which has been well studied in adults. However, none of the peripheral regional techniques used for analgesia after hip surgery, has not proven its advantages. Further clinical studies are needed to investigate peripheral regional anesthesia techniques and determine their efficacy and safety in pediatric hip surgery.

Association of thoracic epidural analgesia and hospital length of stay for patients undergoing thoracotomy: a retrospective cohort analysis

IntroductionRegional anesthesia has been shown to be efficacious for analgesia in patients who underwent thoracotomies. The objective of this study was to analyze the association of epidurals and peripheral regional...

Peripheral Regional Anesthetic Techniques in Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective(s)Aim of this systematic review was to investigate postoperative pain outcomes and adverse events following peripheral regional anesthesia (PRA) compared to no regional anesthesia (RA), placebo or neuraxial anesthesia in children and adults undergoing cardiac surgery. DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis with assessment of the risk of bias (Cochrane RoB 1) and certainty of evidence (GRADE). SettingRandomized controlled trials ParticipantsAdults and children undergoing heart surgery InterventionsAny kind of PRA compared to no RA or placebo or neuraxial anesthesia Measurements and Main resultsIn total 33 RCTs (2044 patients) – 24 of these had a high risk of bias and 28 were performed in adults - were included. PRA compared to no RA may reduce pain intensity at rest 24 h after surgery (MD -0.81 points, 95% CI -1.51 to -0.10; I2 = 92%; very low certainty evidence). PRA compared to placebo may reduce pain intensity at rest (MD -1.36 points, 95% CI -1.59 to -1.13; I2 = 54%; very low certainty evidence) and during movement (MD -1.00 points, 95% CI -1.34 to -0.67; I² = 72%; very low certainty evidence) 24 h after surgery. No data following pediatric cardiac surgery could be meta-analysed due to the low number of included trials. ConclusionsPRA compared to no RA or placebo may reduce pain intensity at rest and during movement. However, these results should be interpreted cautiously, because the certainty of evidence is only very low. Protocol registrationCRD42021223636

Ultrasound in Peripheral, Neuraxial and Perineuraxial Regional Anesthesia : Eryk Eisenberg and Elisabeth Gaertner (Editors). Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham; 2023. USD 129.00, 351 pages. ISBN 978-3-031-08803-2.

Ultrasound in Peripheral, Neuraxial and Perineuraxial Regional Anesthesia : Eryk Eisenberg and Elisabeth Gaertner (Editors). Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham; 2023. USD 129.00, 351 pages. ISBN 978-3-031-08803-2.

The effect of adjuvants added to local anaesthetics for single-injection upper extremity peripheral regional anaesthesia: A systematic review with network meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Peripheral regional anaesthesia is frequently used for upper extremity surgery. To prolong the duration of analgesia, adjuvants can be added to single-injection local anaesthetics. Despite attempts to compare several adjuvants in pairwise meta-analyses, a comprehensive comparison is still missing. The objective of this network meta-analysis was to determine the effectiveness of adjuvants in upper extremity peripheral nerve blocks. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials with network meta-analyses. A literature search in Embase, CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Web of Science was performed up to March 2023. Randomised trials comparing different adjuvants injected perineurally in peripheral upper extremity nerve blocks were eligible. Frequentist network meta-analysis was conducted using a random effects model with physiological saline as the comparator. The primary endpoint was the ratio of means (ROM) of the duration of analgesia. The review included 242 randomised controlled trials with a total of 17 391 patients. Twenty-eight adjuvants were compared in the largest networks. Most network estimations consisted of a high proportion of direct evidence. Fourteen adjuvants increased the duration of analgesia significantly by the following factors, ROM [95% confidence interval (CI)]: dexamethasone 1.95 (1.79 to 2.13), buprenorphine 1.83 (1.51 to 2.24), butorphanol 1.84 (1.41 to 2.39), potassium chloride 1.89 (1.15 to 3.11), dexmedetomidine 1.70 (1.59 to 1.81), sufentanil 1.70 (1.27 to 2.29), ketorolac 1.68 (1.24 to 2.27), midazolam 1.55 (1.24 to 1.94), tramadol 1.52 (1.32 to 1.75), nalbuphine 1.50 (1.30 to 1.72), morphine 1.43 (1.09 to 1.88), magnesium sulfate 1.42 (1.20 to 1.67), clonidine 1.36 (1.24 to 1.50) and fentanyl 1.23 (1.08 to 1.40).Inconsistency in network meta-analysis was substantial. Overall side effect rates were low with all adjuvants. The best interventions to prolong the duration of analgesia were dexamethasone, followed by dexmedetomidine, opioids, electrolytes, ketorolac and midazolam. There are general concerns about the quality of underlying studies and the risk of publication bias. PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018115722.

Management of a road major trauma in a spoke hospital: a report of opioid-free anesthesia in a minimally invasive orthopedic surgery

Major trauma is bound to be managed in highly specialized centers. Due to logistics needs or due to an initial clinical stabilization, these patients happen to be managed in hospitals that are not fully equipped for trauma. We handled a patient, major trauma to dynamics following a high-speed collision between two cars in which she was behind the wheel. The patient was also complex due to cardiovascular and respiratory comorbidities. After ‘ABCDE’ and radiological evaluation, the patient was managed in our hospital with ICU recovery and multiple orthopedic interventions to which she was subjected with neuraxial and peripheral regional anesthesia. The patient was managed successfully and with excellent pain control. The risks associated with her comorbidities were limited to a minimum and she was discharged for rehabilitation 5 days after the operations.

Peripheral Regional Anesthesia Using Local Anesthetics: Old Wine in New Bottles?

During the past decade, numerous efforts were undertaken aiming at prolonging the analgesic effect of regional anesthesia. With the development of extended-release formulations and enhanced selectivity for nociceptive sensory neurons, a very promising contribution to the development of pain medications has been achieved. At present, liposomal bupivacaine is the most popular, non-opioid, controlled drug delivery system, but its duration of action, which is still controversially discussed, and its expensiveness have decreased initial enthusiasm. Continuous techniques can be seen as an elegant alternative for providing a prolonged duration of analgesia, but for logistic or anatomical reasons, they are not always the best choice. Therefore, focus has been directed towards the perineural and/or intravenous addition of old and established substances. As for perineural application, most of these so-called 'adjuvants' are used outside their indication, and their pharmacological efficacy is often not or only poorly understood. This review aims to summarize the recent developments for prolonging the duration of regional anesthesia. It will also discuss the potential harmful interactions and side effects of frequently used analgesic mixtures.

Pain Management in Palliative Care

Patients in the palliative phase of a disease often suffer from pain, which leads to a significant reduction in quality of life. Since in most cases there is a progression rather than an improvement of the disease over time, pain therapy must also be dynamically adapted. Due to accompanying symptoms and the physical burden of the disease, treatment of pain is often difficult. In the palliative situation, pain should not only be understood as an excitation of nociceptors but is rather also an expression of mental stress. In this article, we would like to give an overview of the available drugs, application methods and alternative treatment options. Specifically, the article is divided into the following subsections: non-opioid analgesics, opioids, co-analgesics, patient-controlled analgesia procedures, neuraxial and peripheral regional anesthesia procedures, neurolysis, supportive therapies and palliative sedation. Thus, when treating palliative patients, the focus should not only be on the one symptom of pain, but, in the sense of the bio-psycho-social model, a multimodal oriented treatment of the patient with all his symptoms, also including his relatives, must be carried out.

Role of adjuvants in regional anesthesia: a systematic review.

The combination of drugs and routes of administration produces a synergistic effect, and one of the most important components of multimodal analgesic strategies are, therefore, nerve blocks for pain management. The effect of a local anaesthetic can be prolonged by administering an adjuvant. In this systematic review, we included studies on adjuvants associated with local anaesthetics in peripheral nerve blocks published in the last 5 years in order to evaluate their effectiveness. The results were reported according to the PRISMA guidelines. The 79 studies selected using our criteria showed a clear prevalence of dexamethasone (n = 24) and dexmedetomidine (n = 33) over other adjuvants. Different meta-analyses comparing adjuvants suggest that dexamethasone administered perineurally achieves superior blockade with fewer side effects than dexmedetomidine. Based on the studies reviewed, we found moderate evidence to recommend the use of dexamethasone as an adjuvant to peripheral regional anaesthesia in surgeries that can cause moderate to severe pain.

Comparative study of microbial colonization of catheters for prolonged regional anesthesia when using different fixation methods

BACKGROUND: Infectious complications related to prolonged epidural and peripheral regional anesthesia are quite rare. However, this does not exclude the necessity of strict adherence to measures aimed at preventing microbial colonization of catheters for regional anesthesia. Microbial colonization of the catheter is not always accompanied by the development of infectious complications but increases the likelihood of their occurrence.&#x0D; AIM: To determine the frequency of colonization, the qualitative and quantitative composition of the microflora depending on the various methods of fixing of the catheter and the duration of its use.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: 76 patients from 2 to 18 years old with prolonged epidural or peripheral anesthesia were included in an comparative, prospective, randomized, single-center study. Patients were divided into the groups according to the method of catheter fixation - adhesive sticker (AS), adhesive sticker and antimicrobial coating Desitol B (AS+D) and tunneling (T). Determination of microbial contamination of catheters was carried out using classical bacteriological studies.&#x0D; RESULTS: None of the 76 patients had signs of a local or systemic infection. The difference in the frequency of colonization between the AS and T groups was statistically significant: 2 (1, n = 54) = 5.5381 (p = 0.018), between the AS and AS+D groups it was not significant. The relative risk of colonization of the skin of the catheter with adhesive fixation was 2.14 times higher than with catheter tunneling: RR = 2.14, p = 0.05 (95% CI 1.04.49). In the AS+D group, colonization of both the skin and the inner part of the catheter was observed significantly earlier than in the T group: skin part: U = 5.5; Ucr = 8 (p = 0.02); inner part: U = 5.5; Ucr = 6 (p = 0.04). The growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis (48.3%) and Staphylococcus aureus (20.7%) was fixed mainly when positive results of microbiological culture takes place.&#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: Tunneling is the preferred method of fixation of the catheter when the postoperative pain relief period is more than 3 days.

Investigating Peripheral Regional Anesthesia Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology: Exploring Novel Terrain.

Investigating Peripheral Regional Anesthesia Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology: Exploring Novel Terrain.

Preoperative Anxiety is Associated With Postoperative Complications in Vascular Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Preoperative anxiety is associated with increased morbidity and/or mortality in surgical patients. This study investigated the incidence, predictors, and association of preoperative anxiety with postoperative complications in vascular surgery. Consecutive patients undergoing aortic, carotid, and peripheral artery surgery, under general and regional anesthesia, from February until October 2019 were included in a cross-sectional study. Anesthesiologists assessed preoperative anxiety using a validated Serbian version of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale. Patients were divided into groups with low/high anxiety, both anesthesia- and surgery-related. Statistical analysis included multivariate linear logistic regression and point-biserial correlation. Of 402 patients interviewed, 16 were excluded and one patient refused to participate (response rate 99.7%). Out of 385 patients included (age range 39-86years), 62.3% had previous surgery. High-level anesthesia- and surgery-related anxieties were present in 31.2 and 43.4% of patients, respectively. Independent predictors of high-level anesthesia-related anxiety were having no children (OR = 0.443, 95% CI: 0.239-0.821, p = 0.01), personal bad experiences with anesthesia (OR = 2.294, 95% CI: 1.043-5.045, p = 0.039), and time since diagnosis for ≥ 4months (OR = 1.634, 95% CI: 1.023-5.983, p = 0.04). The female sex independently predicted high-level surgery-related preoperative anxiety (OR = 2.387, 95% CI: 1.432-3.979, p = 0.001). High-level anesthesia-related anxiety correlated with postoperative mental disorders (rpb = 0.193, p = 0.001) and pulmonary complications (rpb = 0.104, p = 0.042). Postoperative nausea (rpb = 0.111, p = 0.03) and postoperative mental disorders (rpb = 0.160, p = 0.002) correlated with high-level surgery-related preoperative anxiety. Since preoperative anxiety affects the postoperative course and almost every third patient experiences anxiety preoperatively, routine screening might be recommended in vascular surgery.

Liposomal bupivacaine-No breakthrough in postoperative pain management

One of the main limitations concerning the use of local anesthetics is due to their restricted duration of action. In recent years, liposomal formulations with prolonged release kinetics have been developed to extend the pharmacological duration of action of the 1‑stage peripheral regional anesthesia (single-shot procedure) and thus bring about alonger duration of action. The focus here is particularly on achieving postoperative freedom from pain for at least 24 h (or even better 48 h) and thus early mobilization of patients using on-demand medication causing (at most) minor local sensory blockade without causing motor impairments (at least that is the ideal). Therefore, methods of utilizing slow-release drugs as seen in liposomal carrier systems have experienced increasing scientific attention in the last few years. Acommon modern pharmacological example with atheoretically significantly longer duration of action is liposomal bupivacaine, an amide local anesthetic. Due to amultivesicular liposome structure, the retarded release of the active component bupivacaine HCl leads to atheoretical pharmacological effectiveness of up to 72 h. Previous studies consistently showed asafety profile comparable to conventional bupivacaine HCl. Liposomal bupivacaine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the trade name Exparel© (Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Parsippany, NJ, USA) since 2011; however, its use is currently limited to local wound infiltration, transverse abdominis plane (TAP) blocks, and interscalene nerve blocks of the brachial plexus. In 2020, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also approved the use of liposomal bupivacaine for blockade of the brachial plexus or the femoral nerve and as afield block or for wound infiltration to treat postoperative pain. So far, studies on the clinical effectiveness of liposomal bupivacaine have been very heterogeneous and there have been no conclusive meta-analyses with sufficient rigor or significance. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses, combining the results of clinical studies regarding the analgesic efficiency of liposomal bupivacaine in different fields of application, consistently refuted any benefit of clinical relevance provided by the liposomal formulation. There is currently sufficient evidence to now end the ongoing debate around liposomal bupivacaine. The aim of this work is to give the reader acurrent, evidence-based overview of this substance.

Critical incidents in acute pain management-A risk analysis of CIRS reports

HintergrundTätigkeitsgebiete mit vielen Schnittstellen, wie die Akutschmerztherapie, gelten per se als Bereiche, in denen ein erhöhtes Risiko für Fehler und Zwischenfälle besteht.Ziel der ArbeitZiele waren die Risikoidentifikation und Graduierung des Risikos von gemeldeten Zwischenfällen im Kontext der Akutschmerztherapie.Material und MethodenAus 5365 Fällen des bundesweiten Meldesystems CIRSmedical Anästhesiologie wurden 508 Berichte mit dem Selektionskriterium „Schmerz“ identifiziert und 281 Berichte (55 %) analysiert und anhand einer Risikomatrix graduiert.ErgebnisseDiese eingeschlossenen Fälle standen im Kontext parenteraler Analgetikaapplikationen (40 %) und rückenmarknaher (40 %) bzw. peripherer Regionalanästhesieverfahren (23 %) sowie der patientenkontrollierten Analgesie in 13 % der Meldungen (Mehrfachnennung möglich). Die meisten Ereignisse waren anhand der Schilderungen auf fachliche Fehler, Kommunikationsdefizite und ein Abweichen von der Routine zurückzuführen. Sie basierten meist auf Zugangs‑, Dosis- oder Wirkstoffverwechslungen. Etwa ein Drittel der Fehlerquellen war organisatorischer Art. Ein mögliches vitales Risiko war anhand der Berichte in 59 % der Fälle anzunehmen; 16 % der Fälle gingen mit tatsächlichen vitalen Komplikationen einher. Die Risikograduierung ergab zusammengefasst in Risikoklassen in 7 % ein „extrem hohes“, in 62 % ein „hohes“, in 25 % ein „moderates“ und in 6 % ein „niedriges“ Risiko.DiskussionInsgesamt stellte sich ein relevantes Risikopotenzial für die Patienten dar. Gerade Zwischenfälle mit menschlichen Fehlern, Abweichen von der Routine und organisatorischen Aspekten gehen mit hohem Risiko einher.