View clinical trials related to Regional Anesthesia.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine whether use of the ultrasound to locate the epidural space and assist with performing neuraxial anesthesia will decrease numbers of the attempts required for successful placement of epidural catheter.
Peripheral nerve blocks of the limbs are very useful in providing anesthesia and pain relief for orthopedic procedures in the limbs (elbows, arms, knees, and legs). Considering that current nerve block techniques involve locating the main nerves at the top of the limb and "freezing" those neural structures in order to provide pain relief to the rest of the extremity, a comprehensive study of the nerves located lower in the limbs is needed. This study provides a step in the direction of the development of techniques for advanced nerve blockade that target nerve structures lower in the limbs to provide precise pain relief rather than widespread numbness. The objective of the study aims to use direct ultrasound guidance to develop a comprehensive examination and identification of the peripheral nerves in the lower region of the upper and lower limbs (arms and legs). In a sense, this process allows us to "visualize" the nerves. In the future, with the experience of visualizing these nerves with the ultrasound machine, we can develop techniques that may allow us to perform anesthetic blockade with greater success and fewer complications. An ultrasound exam will be performed on 8 healthy volunteers to view the peripheral nerves in the lower arm in three locations: the elbow area, the wrist area, and the midpoint of the arm between the elbow and the wrist. A set of 8 healthy patients will be given an ultrasound exam to view the peripheral nerves located in the lower leg by imaging three locations: the knee area, the ankle area, and the midpoint of the leg between the knee and the ankle. The appropriate nerves will be identified by ultrasound and images will be captured and recorded for further corroboration. The group of 16 subjects will allow for varied observations of anatomical positions of neural and vascular structures, while keeping the sample size fairly small. No injections will be made at any time during this study.
Nerve "freezing" injections of the leg are very useful in providing anesthesia and pain relief for knee and ankle surgery. However, current nerve "freezing" techniques are "blind". As a result, they are not always successful and may cause complications, albeit infrequent. The objective of the current study is to determine any advantage in performing these "freezing" injections under direct ultrasound guidance, to "visualize" the nerves. We feel that by developing this technique, it will allow us to perform these procedures with greater success and fewer complications.
Many patients undergoing surgery on their hand receive a form of anesthetic called "axillary brachial plexus block". This involves the injection of local anesthetic (freezing medication) around the nerves that supply the upper limb, which are located in the arm pit. The technique currently used by physicians performing this procedure is far from perfect, and in up to 1 of every 5 patients it does not work well enough to allow surgery, and a different form of anesthetic may need to be used. In an attempt to improve these results, we have recently developed a new technique, using ultrasound imaging to "see" the nerves prior to giving the injection. Our initial results are very promising, implying that this may be a highly successful and safe approach. The purpose of this study is to determine if this technique is indeed more successful. In order to do that, we will ask 110 patients for their participation. They will be divided in two groups, at random. One group will receive the standard technique (transarterial, using a small needle to find the artery that is close to the nerves). The other group will receive the injection after identifying the nerves with ultrasound imaging. They will all receive the same type of medication, and they will be tested every 5 minutes for half an hour to determine if the block has been successful, according to pre-established criteria. Their pain control will be assessed after the surgery and they will be called 24 hours and 1 week after the surgery to assess their recovery and rule out any possible complications.
This is a quality assurance database to prospectively examine regional anesthesia outcomes at Toronto Western Hospital.