Regional Nerve Research Articles

The Development, Implementation, and Evolution of an Emergency Medicine Ultrasound-guided Regional Anesthesia Curriculum.

Despite the inclusion of both diagnostic and procedural ultrasound and regional nerve blocks in the original Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine (EM), there is no recommended standardized approach to the incorporation of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) education in EM training. We developed and implemented a structured curriculum for both EM residents and faculty to learn UGRA in a four-hour workshop. Each Regional Anesthesia Anatomy and Ultrasound Workshop was four hours in length and followed the same format. Focusing on common UGRA blocks, each workshop began with an anatomist-led cadaveric review of the relevant neuromusculoskeletal anatomy followed by a hands-on ultrasound scanning practice for the blocks led by an ultrasound fellowship-trained EM faculty member, fellow, or a postgraduate year (PGY)-4 resident who had previously participated in the workshop. Learners identified the relevant anatomy on point-of-care ultrasound and reviewed how to conduct the blocks. Learners were invited to complete an evaluation of the workshop with Likert-scale and open-ended questions. In the 2020 academic year, six regional anesthesia anatomy and ultrasound workshops occurred for EM faculty (two sessions, N = 24) and EM residents (four sessions, N = 40, including a total of five PGY4s, 10 PGY3s, 12 PGY2s, and 13 PGY1s). Workshops were universally well-received by both faculty and residents. Survey results found that 100.0% of all responding participants indicated that they were "very satisfied" with the session. All were likely to recommend this session to a colleague and 95.08% of participants believed the session should become a required component of the EM curriculum. The use of UGRA is increasing, and and it critical in EM. An interdisciplinary approach in collaboration with anatomists on an interactive, nerve block workshop incorporating both gross anatomy review and hands-on scanning was shown to be well-received and desired by both EM faculty and residents.

Reduction of Postoperative Delirium and Opioid Use in Hip Fracture Patients Through Utilization of Emergency Department Physician Administered Regional Nerve Blocks.

The complication of delirium for hip fracture patients is a predictor of mortality. Use of opioid medication increases the incidence of delirium in the pre- and postoperative periods. Regional nerve blocks are effective in managing acute pain for acute hip fractures. This study aims to evaluate the utilization of ED physicians to perform fascia iliaca nerve blocks on hip fracture patients to decrease the incidence of delirium by decreasing usage of opioid medication. A quality improvement project for performing regional nerve blocks on patients with femoral neck fractures was implemented during fiscal year 2019. Data was collected retrospectively for frequency of ED nerve block procedures, amount of opioid medication use, and incidence of delirium in patients diagnosed with hip fracture. This data was compared to baseline data to determine success of the intervention. Utilization of regional nerve blocks in the ED increased from 2% in 2018 to 96% in 2021 and 89% in 2022. Preoperative opioid usage decreased from 38 MMEs to 16.9 and 18 MMEs respectively. Daily average MMEs decreased from 34 to 12.1 and 14 respectively. Postoperative delirium decreased from 6% in 2018 to 0% from 2020 to 2022. ED provider administration of fascia iliaca blocks and follow-up is a novel practice in our region to decrease the adverse effects of opiate use and decrease delirium rates. There was a reduction in length of stay and increased discharge home rate despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Administration of regional nerve blocks by ED physicians to hip fracture patients presenting to the ED results in a decrease in opioid medication usage. This also results in a decreased delirium rates in the hip fracture patient population.

Comparison of a hand-held high-end resolution infrared thermography (FLIR P640) and a smartphone infrared thermographic device (FLIR One) for the assessment of skin surface temperature after anaesthetising the median nerve in Healthy horses.

Accuracy of a median nerve block is normally assessed by testing skin sensitivity on the medial and dorsal aspects of fetlock and pastern. The present study evaluated subjective and objective analysis of skin surface temperature obtained with two different infrared (IR) thermography cameras (a high-end [FLIR P640] and a smartphone IR thermography device [FLIR One®]) before and after anaesthesia of the median nerve. Thermographic images were obtained at 0, 30, 60 and 90 minutes after performing a median nerve block with 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride. The subjective analysis of thermographic images using the FLIR P640 camera found assessors had >50% agreement for the presence of a nerve block (p<0.01) based on assessment of skin temperature within the expected dermatome of the median nerve. The objective analysis found skin temperature increases in the treated leg using the FLIR One® in the dorsal fetlock, dorsal pastern and medial pastern at 60 minutes, and the lateral pastern at 90 minutes (p<0.05). The treated leg, imaged using the FLIR P640 camera, had increases in skin temperature at the medial aspect of the fetlock at 60 minutes and lateral pastern at 90 minutes (p<0.05). Images obtained with the P640 camera had higher resolution and finer thermal detail. The images obtained with the FLIR One® camera had a wider temperature range with overall higher temperature measurements than the images obtained using the P640 camera (p<0.001). Skin temperatures in horses should be interpreted with caution when using the FLIR One® camera. Furthermore, the FLIR One® device detected an increase in skin surface temperature in both treated and non-treated legs and should not be used for assessment of a median nerve block. Infrared thermography appears to be useful for determining the presence of a high regional nerve block such as the median nerve block by observing increased temperatures of the skin surface after perineural anaesthesia. Further studies with a larger sample size as well as investigating the use of thermography for assessment of other regional nerve blocks are warranted.

Retrospective Comparison of Quadratus Lumborum and Pericapsular Nerve Group Blocks for Postoperative Pain Management of Patients Undergoing Outpatient Hip Arthroscopy.

Hip arthroscopy is commonly performed as an outpatient procedure and effective postoperative pain management is important to provide quality patient care and enable timely discharge. Multiple regional nerve blocks have been described for pain relief after hip arthroscopy, but there is no consensus on the optimal technique. This retrospective investigation aimed to compare quadratus lumborum (QL) and pericapsular nerve group (PENG) blocks to determine if there are differences in analgesic outcomes after outpatient hip arthroscopy. A total of 50 consecutive patients that received QL block and 50 that received PENG block for outpatient hip arthroscopy were identified and compared to determine if there were any differences in the primary outcome of total perioperative opioid consumption prior to discharge from the surgery center. Important secondary analgesic outcomes include postoperative opioid consumption, verbal rating scale (VRS) pain scores or total time in the recovery area. Summary statistics of relevant variables are compared and reported between study groups (QL versus PENG). For QL and PENG groups, no significant differences were observed in total perioperative oral morphine equivalents (OME) (69.5 vs 60mg; p=0.40), postoperative OME (15 vs 15.3mg; p=0.96) or maximum pain scores in the recovery area (7.0 vs 6.0; p=0.41). Postoperatively, QL block patients were in PACU for a greater length of time after surgery than PENG block patients (89.5 vs 72minutes; p<0.001). No patients had uncontrolled pain requiring emergency room visits or hospital admission within 24hours. No neurologic complications or instances of motor weakness were reported after QL or PENG blocks. This retrospective study observed similar opioid requirements and pain scores for patients receiving QL versus PENG block for hip arthroscopy, though PENG block patients had shorter times in the recovery area. Prospective, controlled trials are required to further explore and confirm these findings.

Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound-guided Fascia Iliaca Block and Three-in-one Block in Elderly Patients Undergoing Hip Surgeries: A Randomised Double-blinded Clinical Trial

Introduction: Hip surgery is a common surgical procedure in the elderly population, leading to significant pain. Ultrasound (USG) guided regional nerve blocks are a newer, safe, and effective postoperative pain control modality for elderly patients. Aim: To compare the analgesic efficacy of Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block (FICB) with the three-in-one block for postoperative analgesia in elderly patients after lower limb orthopaedic surgeries. Materials and Methods: It was a randomised double- blinded study performed at Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India on 60 elderly patients of Americian Soceity of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) class I-II scheduled for elective hip and femur shaft surgery under spinal anaesthesia.All patients were randomly allocated into two groups. Group A received ultrasound-guided FICB with 35-40 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine, and group B received ultrasound-guided three-in-one block with 35-40 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine after completion of surgery. In the postoperative period, pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and inj. diclofenac sodium 1.5 mg/kg intravenous (i.v.) was given as rescue analgesic whenever VAS was ≥4. The primary outcome was changes in VAS scores at rest and during passive leg elevation between the two groups at various time intervals within 24 hours. Secondary outcomes measured were the duration of analgesia and total rescue analgesic required in 24 hours. Qualitative variables were compared between groups using the Chi-square test. A p-value&lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Demographic data were comparable in both groups, with a mean age of 65.11±1.89 years in Group A and 65.57±1.46 years in Group B. The VAS score at rest was significantly lower in Group A compared to Group B at the 6th hour (1.21±1.17 vs. 1.61±0.78) and 12th hour (2.80±0.12 vs. 3.33±0.92), respectively. The VAS score during passive movement was significantly lower in Group A at the 6th hour and 12th hour compared to Group B. The mean time for the first demand of rescue analgesic was 9.27±2.16 hours in the Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block (FICB) group and 6.67±1.45 hours in the three-in-one group. The difference was significant, with a p-value of 0.006. The mean requirement of total rescue analgesia was 133.33±33.27 mg in Group A and 198.53±29.16 mg in Group B, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: The fascia iliaca block had lower pain scores both at rest and during passive movement compared to the three-inone block. Total analgesic requirement was lower in the fascia iliaca group compared to the three-in-one block group.

Effects of liposomal bupivacaine in preoperative fascia iliac block on postoperative pain and delirium in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery: a study protocol for a randomised, parallel controlled prospective clinical study

IntroductionPostoperative delirium (POD) is the most common acute fluctuating mental state change after hip fractures in older adults. Postoperative pain is a Grade A risk factor for POD and is...

The efficacy of injecting a distillate of the pitcher plant (Sarraceniaceae) adjacent to the palmar digital nerves of horses to ameliorate lameness caused by digital pain

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of instilling extract of the pitcher plant around the palmar digital nerves of horses to ameliorate digit pain causing lameness. Five mixed breed horses were recruited. Horses were determined to be lame because of pain in the distal portion of one or both thoracic limbs by a positive response to a basisesamoid nerve block using 2%^mepivacaine hydrochloride. Gait was evaluated pre- and post-nerve block at 30 min, 3, 7,14 and 21 days. At the 3-week evaluation, the basisesamoid nerve block was repeated using the extract, and the gait was evaluated at similar times. Lameness was evaluated objectively using a wireless, inertial, sensor-based, motion analysis system. The basisesamoid nerve block significantly ameliorated lameness at 30 min when gait was evaluated, but it had no significant effect on lameness after this time. The product containing extract of the pitcher plant had no significant effect on lameness when administered as a basisesamoid nerve block at any time. Extract of the pitcher plant administered adjacent to the medial and lateral palmar digital nerves (i.e., a basisesamoid nerve block) had no efficacy in ameliorating lameness in the distal portion of one or both thoracic limbs. Extract of the pitcher plant likely has no value for treating horses for chronic pain when administered as a regional nerve block.

Minimally Invasive Corneal Neurotization: 10-Year Update in Technique Including Novel Donor Transfer of the Great Auricular Nerve.

Corneal anesthesia, caused by lack of corneal innervation, is a rare but devastating condition that can lead to neurotrophic keratopathy, corneal ulceration, scarring, and blindness. Minimally invasive corneal neurotization enables transfer of regional donor sensory nerves to the cornea to provide sensation and ocular protection. The authors provide an update on technical advances and modifications that have refined the surgery over the past 10 years, as well as step-by-step intraoperative videos of corneal neurotization, noting its critical steps, pitfalls, and caveats. The videos illustrate the novel technique of using the greater auricular nerve with a sural nerve graft extension as the donor nerve for the procedure. The steps and considerations depicted will allow surgeons to carry out corneal neurotization efficiently, safely, and effectively.

The Impact of Regional Nerve Blocks on Postoperative Delirium or Cognitive Dysfunction following Thoracic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Regional nerve blocks (NBs) mitigate the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and postoperative delirium (POD) in adult patients undergoing thoracic surgery. This study aimed to determine the exact effect of NBs on POCD and POD. Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched for studies. The primary outcome was the incidence of POD or POCD. The secondary outcome was pain scores assessed 24 and 48 h postoperatively. We calculated the log odds ratio (LOR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The LOR was converted to an odds ratio (OR). In the analysis of 1010 patients from seven randomized controlled trials, POD and POCD rates were 14.1% and 16.7%, respectively, in the NB group, and higher, at 27.3% and 35.2%, in the control group. NBs reduced the incidence of POD (OR, 0.44; 95%CI 0.30 to 0.64; p < 0.001; I2 = 0.00%) and POCD (OR, 0.43; 95%CI 0.24 to 0.76; p < 0.001; I2 = 0.00%). NBs reduced pain scores at 24 h (SMD, -2.60; 95%CI -3.90 to -1.30, p < 0.001; I2 = 97.68%) and 48 h (SMD, -1.80; 95%CI -3.18 to -0.41, p = 0.01; I2 = 98.14%) postoperatively. NBs mitigated the occurrence of POD and POCD in adult patients after thoracic surgery.

Ropivacaine inhibits the malignant behavior of lung cancer cells by regulating retinoblastoma-binding protein 4.

Ropivacaine is a local anesthetic commonly used in regional nerve blocks to manage perioperative pain during lung cancer surgery. Recently, the antitumor potential of ropivacaine has received considerable attention. Our previous study showed that ropivacaine treatment inhibits the malignant behavior of lung cancer cells in vitro. However, the potential targets of ropivacaine in lung cancer cells have not yet been fully identified. This study aimed to explore the antitumor effects and mechanisms of action of ropivacaine in lung cancer. Lung cancer A549 cells were treated with or without 1 mM ropivacaine for 48 h. Quantitative proteomics was performed to identify the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) triggered by ropivacaine treatment. STRING and Cytoscape were used to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and analyze the most significant hub genes. Overexpression plasmids and small interfering RNA were used to modulate the expression of key DEPs in A549 and H1299 cells. MTS, transwell assays, and flow cytometry were performed to determine whether the key DEPs were closely related to the anticancer effect of ropivacaine on the malignant behavior of A549 and H1299 cells. Quantitative proteomic analysis identified 327 DEPs (185 upregulated and 142 downregulated proteins) following ropivacaine treatment. Retinoblastoma-binding protein 4 (RBBP4) was one of the downregulated DEPs and was selected as the hub protein. TCGA database showed that RBBP4 was significantly upregulated in lung cancer and was associated with poor patient prognosis. Inhibition of RBBP4 by siRNA resulted in a significant decrease in the proliferation and invasive capacity of lung cancer cells and the induction of cell cycle arrest. Additionally, the results indicated RBBP4 knockdown enhanced antitumor effect of ropivacaine on A549 and H1299 cells. Conversely, the overexpression of RBBP4 using plasmids reversed the inhibitory effects of ropivacaine. Our data suggest that ropivacaine suppresses lung cancer cell malignancy by downregulating RBBP4 protein expression, which may help clarify the mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of ropivacaine.

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...

Ultrasound-guided popliteal plexus block versus fascia iliaca block for postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized clinical trial

Background: Regional nerve blocks have attained a popularity for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) because they can anesthetize a wider area with a prolonged postoperative analgesic effect. This clinical trial compared postoperative pain control using popliteal plexus blockade (PPB) and fascia iliaca block (FIB) in cases of TKA.&#x0D; Methodology: This double-blinded randomized clinical trial enrolled 60 patients planned for unilateral, primary TKA under spinal anesthesia. Participants were randomly allocated to either the PPB group or the FIB group. The blocks were performed at the end of surgery. Postoperative pain was measured on Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) during rest, and on arrival in PACU, then at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 h. Time to first rescue, total morphine consumption and any complications / side-effects were noted in both groups.&#x0D; Results: Numeric rating scale (NRS) scores at 8 h and 12 h during rest, and at 4 h, 8 h, and 12 h during movement were significantly lower in the FIB group than in the PPB group. Morphine consumption in the first 24 h postoperative was significantly lower in the FIB group than in the PPB group. Time to first rescue was delayed significantly in the FIB group than PPB group. Rehabilitation was comparable between the two groups. Patient satisfaction, postoperative nausea and vomiting, hypotension, and bradycardia were comparable between both groups.&#x0D; Conclusions: Fascia iliaca block was superior to popliteal plexus blockade in controlling postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty, as evidenced by lower pain scores, lesser postoperative morphine consumption, and delayed time to first analgesic request with comparable minimal adverse events.&#x0D; Abbreviations: TKA - Total Knee Arthroplasty; PPB - Popliteal Plexus Blockade; FIB - Fascia Iliaca Block; PONV - Postoperative Nausea / Vomiting; IQR - Interquartile Range; NRS - Numerical Rating Scale; PACU - Post Anesthesia Care Unit; LLS - Lower Limb Surgery; PCA - Patient-Controlled Analgesia&#x0D; Preregistration: The study was performed from June 2022 to March 2023 at Tanta University Hospitals, Egypt, after approval from the Tanta University Hospitals Ethical Committee (approval code: 35431/04/22) and registration of clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT05390450).&#x0D; Key words: Popliteal Plexus Block; Fascia Iliaca Block; Total Knee Arthroplasty; Analgesia&#x0D; Citation: Abdelraheem TM, Naguib TM, Algyar MF. Ultrasound-guided popliteal plexus block versus fascia iliaca block for postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized clinical trial. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2023;27(5):555−561; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v27i5.2311&#x0D; Received: June 17, 2023; Reviewed: July 05, 2023; Accepted: August 16, 2023

The Effect of Caudal Ropivacaine and Morphine on Postoperative Analgesia in Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Multiple regional nerve blocks proved no additional benefit in total laparoscopic hysterectomy in multimodal analgesia, as postoperative pain may mainly originate from the vaginal cuff. Theoretically, caudal block can relieve pain from the vaginal cuff by a sacral spinal nerve block. We aimed to verify whether a caudal block with ropivacaine and morphine can achieve an analgesic effect without additional adverse effects after a total laparoscopic hysterectomy. Forty-eight patients undergoing total laparoscopic hysterectomy were randomly allocated to receive preoperative caudal block with 20 mL of mixture including 0.25% ropivacaine and 2 mg morphine (caudal block group) or sham block (sham group). The primary outcome was the postoperative 24 h cumulative sufentanil consumption. Median (IQR) sufentanil consumption in the first 24 postoperative hours of the caudal block group and the sham group was 0.00 (0.00 to 0.05) μg/kg vs 0.13 (0.04 to 0.21) μg/kg, respectively, p < 0.001. The majority of patients felt that visceral pain was more intense than incisional pain at 1, 6, 12, and 24 h post-surgery in the sham group (95.8% at 1 h, 95.8% at 6 h, 95.8% at 12 h, and 75% at 24 h post-surgery). Compared to the sham group, the caudal block reduced visceral pain scores at rest and during movement at 1 h (p < 0.001), 6 h (p < 0.001), 12 h (p < 0.001), and 24 h (p < 0.001) post-surgery. Intraoperative remifentanil consumption was significantly lower in the caudal block group than in the sham group (p = 0.004). There were no significant differences in other secondary outcomes between the two groups. A caudal block with ropivacaine and morphine could provide a satisfactory analgesic effect for 24 h postoperatively without additional adverse effects after total laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Regional Anesthesia for Wrist Fractures and Dislocations: Are We Really Blocking Opioid Prescribing?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of regional anesthesia for the treatment of wrist fractures or dislocation on opioid prescription-filling patterns. Patients undergoing surgery for hand and wrist fractures or dislocations from 2010 to 2018 were identified by using a national insurance claims database. Patients were stratified by procedures conducted with and without regional anesthesia. Preoperative opioids were defined by a filled opioid prescription within 1 month prior to surgery, postoperative within 1 month following the surgery, and prolonged postoperative 3 to 6 months following surgery. Patients' demographic data, comorbidities, additional medications, 30-day emergency department (ED) visits, and hospital readmissions were analyzed. A total of 24 598 patients treated with and 115 199 patients treated without a regional nerve block for wrist fractures and dislocations were identified. Regional anesthesia was associated with greater postoperative opioid prescription but fewer prolonged postoperative prescriptions. There was an increased odds of all-cause 30-day ED visits but a decreased odds of 30-day hospital readmissions when patients received a regional nerve block prior to surgery. In this study, receiving regional anesthesia prior to surgical intervention for wrist fractures or dislocations was associated with increased filling of postoperative opioid prescriptions, but not prolonged postoperative opioid prescriptions. Additional investigation is needed to identify and implement nonnarcotic multimodal analgesia regimens that may help decrease usage of narcotic medications surrounding these procedures. Level III, retrospective cohort study.

Current Approaches to Four Challenging Pain Syndromes.

During a conference of pain specialists, some of the experts addressed the potential management of four prevalent but difficult painful conditions, namely, chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), knee osteoarthritis, chest trauma, and facet joint arthropathy. In all cases, the conditions posed challenges in accurate diagnoses as well as safe, effective treatments, especially using locoregional blocks. It is not clear why some surgical patients develop CPSP and others do not, although some risk factors have been identified. More importantly, the transitional phase of pain from acute to chronic deserves greater scrutiny. It appears as if more aggressive and more effective perioperative and postoperative analgesia could help mitigate or possibly prevent CPSP. Knee osteoarthritis is prevalent but is often managed pharmacologically and then with joint replacement; many patients simply live with the condition which can be viewed as a disease of the entire joint. New approaches with intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid, platelet-rich plasma, and botulinum toxin may provide safe, effective, and durable pain control. Chest trauma can be extremely painful and a source of morbidity, but its management tends to rely on watchful waiting and drug therapy. New approaches to regional nerve blocks can be beneficial and may reduce troublesome symptoms such as the inability to cough or clear the lungs. Facet joint arthropathy is very prevalent among older people but is not completely clarified. It may be the source of intense pain with limited management strategies. The role of nerve blocks in facet joint arthropathy is an important new addition to the armamentarium of pain management, particularly for geriatric patients.

Effectiveness of Scalp Nerves Block in Reducing the Immediate Postoperative Pain in Patients Undergoing Craniotomy in Elective Neurosurgical Procedures

Objective: To determine the usefulness of regional scalp block in controlling pain after craniotomy. Methodology: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted at the Pakistan Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad from November 2021 to April 2022. Adult patients aged 18 to 65 years, scheduled for elective craniotomy for neurosurgical procedures with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of I or II, of either gender, were included. Patients underwent craniotomy for their respective lesions. Patients were randomized into two groups: one receiving a regional scalp nerve block of 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine after general anesthesia, and the other undergoing general anesthesia as a placebo. Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score at baseline (preoperatively), at 1 hour postoperatively, and at 6 hours postoperatively. Results: The mean age of patients in the treatment group was 43.14 years, while in the control group, it was 42.55 years. The treatment group had 26 males (54.2%) and 22 females (45.8%), while the control group had 25 males (52.1%) and 23 females (47.9%). There was no significant difference in the VAS score preoperatively (p &gt; 0.05). Patients undergoing surgeries lasting less than 3 hours showed that the treatment group had a significantly lower mean VAS score of 3.08 at 1 hour compared to the control group's score of 5.11 (p = 0.027), while at the 6-hour post-surgery it was insignificant (p = 0.844). For surgeries lasting more than 3 hours, the treatment group had a significantly lower mean VAS score at 1 hour and at 6 hours post-surgery compared to the control group (p &lt; 0.05). There were no overall complications associated with the subcutaneous injection of epinephrine and bupivacaine in blocking the scalp nerves. Conclusion: The administration of scalp nerve blocks using bupivacaine and epinephrine prior to surgical incisions has demonstrated notable advantages in terms of postoperative pain management. Such nerve blocks can offer superior postoperative analgesia compared to the control group.

Bridging Old and New in Pain Medicine: An Historical Review.

Pain is both one of the oldest complaints known to medicine and a field for some of medicine's latest breakthroughs and innovations. Pharmacologic treatment of pain is one of the oldest remedies, and opioids have been used since ancient times as an effective pain reliever but with certain specific risks for abuse.Greater knowledge of opioids led to a more thorough understanding of the complexities of pain, which may have any number of mechanisms. A greater understanding of nerve fibers and pain signaling led to the development of more drugs and the more targeted delivery of analgesics using the hollow needle. The hollow needle changed pain treatment and led to percutaneous injections and what would later become interventional pain medicine with regional anesthesia and nerve blocks. Today, imaging can be combined with interventional techniques for more precise localization of nerves for diagnosis and treatment. The role of artificial intelligence in interventional pain medicine, especially in imaging for interventional procedures, remains unknown but will likely become extremely beneficial.

Free Opioid Anesthesia in Cancer Patient Undergoing Total Thyroidectomy and Functional Neck Dissection Dextra: A Case Report

Background: The use of large doses of opioids perioperatively has been found to be associated with early recurrence in patients undergoing surgery for primary cancer. This study aimed to describe the use of opioid free anesthesia in cancer patients.&#x0D; Case presentation: A 72-year-old man with a diagnosis of papillary adenocarcinoma thyroid underwent total thyroidectomy and dextra functional neck dissection. The results of the preoperative assessment stated that the patient had ASA III physical status and would undergo general anesthesia (GA-OTT) and regional anesthesia peripheral nerve block (RA-PNB BPSS).&#x0D; Conclusion: Nonopioid regimens are recommended for pain control in the perioperative and postoperative periods in some cases. The application of free opioids can reduce opioid dependence in patients who routinely receive opioid prescriptions after discharge.

Influence of Regional Nerve Block in Addition to General Anesthesia on Postoperative Delirium, Pain, and In-hospital Stay in Patients Undergoing Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Meta-analysis.

This study aims to investigate whether venous injection of sedative agent or regional nerve block in alliance with major anesthesia could decrease the risk of postoperative delirium occurrence in patients receiving cardiothoracic surgery. Electronic academic databases were retrieved for related publications, and statistical software was used for data pooling and analysis. Forest plot was used to show the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio. Combined receiver operating characteristic curve was used to show the area under the curve of complex data. Seven studies were included for analysis. The risk of occurrence of delirium still showed no difference (risk rate = 0.93, 95% CI, 0.85-1.03) between the intervention group and placebo group. Postoperative pain feeling was more alleviated in patients with prophylactic application of regional nerve block. In addition, prophylactic application of regional nerve block could decrease the risk of postoperative in-hospital stay (risk rate = 0.28, 95% CI, 0.02-0.54). Our study demonstrated that, in elderly patients or pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery, prophylactic application of regional nerve block failed to decrease the incidence of postoperative delirium. However, the option of regional nerve block could decrease the duration of in-hospitalization stay and alleviate the acute pain during the postoperative period after open-heart surgery.

The Efficacy of Pericapsular Nerve Group Block Versus Facia Iliaca Block on Immediate Postoperative Pain and Opioid Consumption After Hip Arthroscopy Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain after hip arthroscopy remains a major cause of patient dissatisfaction in the immediate postoperative period. Adequate postoperative analgesia is associated with increased patient satisfaction, earlier mobilization, and decreased opioid consumption. OBJECTIVES: Therefore, there is a need for safe, reliable, and opioid- and motor-sparing methods of achieving postoperative analgesia following hip arthroscopy. We evaluated the efficacy of pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block vs fascia iliaca block (FIB) in reducing postoperative pain and analgesic consumption in the first 24 hours following hip arthroscopy. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective randomized double-blinded control clinical trial. SETTING: At the arthroscopy unit of the orthopedic department of Assiut University Hospitals, Assiut, Egypt from 2019 to 2022. METHODS: Forty-three patients comprising 18 women and 25 men scheduled for hip arthroscopy were randomized to receive a preoperative block with PENG or FIB from March 2019 to March 2022. The mean age was 27.9 years (standard deviation [SD], 6.2 years; range, 18-42 years) and the mean body mass index was 25.13 kg/m2 (SD, 5.08 kg/m2). Patients were randomized into 2 groups: group A comprising 20 patients that received FIB; and group B comprising 23 patients that received PENG block. The efficacies of FIB and PENG block were evaluated using Visual Analog Scale scores. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in median pain scores and mean at rest pain scores were observed between the 2 groups at all measured time points following surgery (i.e., 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours). Further, dynamic pain scores (with hip flexion) scores significantly differed between the 2 groups at 24 hours postoperatively (P = 0.001). PENG block significantly decreased postoperative opioid use compared to FIB. Total opioid use in the 24-hour postoperative period was lower in the PENG group compared to the FIB group (16.5 ± 9.9 vs 27.5 ± 9.6; P &lt; 005). LIMITATIONS: Different hip pathologies and different interventions lead to different outcomes. Also, a larger sample size and longer follow-up duration are required. CONCLUSIONS: PENG block may represent the ideal regional anesthesia modality for hip arthroscopy as an alternative to more conventional regional nerve blocks, such as FIB, femoral nerve block, and lumbar plexus block. PENG block is reproducible, easily performed in the preoperative setting, and appears to spare motor function while providing prolonged sensory analgesia. KEY WORDS: Pericapsular, nerve group block, fascia iliaca block, peripheral nerve blocks, hip arthroscopy