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Regional Anesthesia

Peripheral nerve blocks, spinals, epidurals...

October 29, 2003: Ketamine: Teaching and Old Dog New Tricks?
Ketamine is an old and much maligned drug. Recent findings, however, indicate that it might be making a comeback and could be used in some interesting ways.

December 9, 2002: Retrobulbar Block
A discussion of the technique of retrobulbar block, common complications, contraindications, etc.

October 20, 2002: Epidurals and Maternal Fever
Is the association between maternal fever and epidurals a cause for concern? A look at some of the evidence...

June 1, 2002: Treating Pain Before It Starts: Pre-emptive Analgesia
Is the concept of pre-emptive analgesia real or just a pipe dream? Here is a short discussion. Includes bibliography for further research.

April 10, 2002: Local Anesthesia for Inguinal Hernia Repair
While there are a number of options for anesthesia when it comes to having a hernia fixed, many patients do not think about having this surgery done under local anesthesia. Here is a short summary of the advantages and disadvantages of that technique.

February 5, 2002: Anterior Approach to the Sciatic Nerve Block
The anterior approach is perhaps the least utilized of the four classic approaches. Lack of familiarity with the technique and the fact that it requires a long needle and use of the nerve stimulator may account for a higher failure rate. However, the approach is useful in selected patients.

February 4, 2002: Epidurals: A Cause of Long Term Back Pain?
The question often arises as to whether epidurals cause long-term back pain in patients. Recent study results show that the risk of long term backache is not increased after epidural anesthesia.

January 30, 2002: Ankle Block for Foot Surgery
Ankle block is commonly used for surgery on the foot. While there are other options that can be used, ankle block offers a high degree of effectiveness combined with very low risk to the patient.

January 29, 2002: Is Regional Anesthesia Better Than General Anesthesia?
The debate about whether regional anesthesia is better than general anesthesia in terms of morbidity and mortality continues to be a topic of great interest and fervent debate. A recent meta-analysis gives us some food for thought.

January 27, 2002: Phantom Limb Pain
Phantom limb syndrome has been intriguing to doctors and irritating to patients throughout the history of medicine. Now new research may shed some light on the problem.

January 17, 2002: Spinal Anesthesia Increases In-Vitro Fertilization Success
It has long been considered true that anesthesia technique influences the success rate of in-vitro fertilization. Now a recent study suggests that spinal anesthesia may be better than general anesthesia in terms of patient satisfaction and pregnancy success rates.

January 11, 2002: Lateral Approach to the Popliteal Block
The classic posterior approach to popliteal block is reliable and relatively easy to perform. However, it is hard to do if the patient cannot be positioned prone because the landmarks are hard to access. The lateral approach provides an alternative in these situations.

January 8, 2002: Infraclavicular Approach to the Brachial Plexus Block
The classic brachial plexus block is done from an axillary approach - offering safety and efficacy. However, some patients do not allow access to the axilla (because of functional limitations or pain) - which makes the infraclavicular approach an important alternative.