Hemodynamic instability following intravenous dexmedetomidine infusion for sedation under brachial plexus block: Two case reports

BACKGROUND Dexmedetomidine(DMED)is frequently used as a sedative in several medical fields.The benefits of DMED include enhanced quality of regional anesthesia,prolonged analgesia,and postoperative opioid-sparing when administered intravenously or perineurally in combination with regional anesthesia.Severe hemodynamic complications,such as profound bradycardia and hypotension,can occur after DMED administration in critically ill patients or overdosage;however,there are few reports of complications with DMED administration following brachial plexus block(BPB).CASE SUMMARY We present two cases of hemodynamic instability that occurred following the initial loading of DMED under supraclavicular BPB.A healthy 29-year-old man without any medical history showed profound bradycardia after receiving a loading dose of DMED 0.9μg/kg for 9 min.DMED administration was promptly stopped,and after receiving a second dose of atropine,the heart rate recovered.A 62-year-old woman with a history of cardiomyopathy became hypotensive abruptly,requiring the administration of inotrope and vasopressors after receiving a reduced loading dose of 0.5μg/kg for 10 min.Half of the recommended loading dose of DMED was administered due to the underlying heart dysfunction.Decrea-sed blood pressure was maintained despite the intravenous administration of ephedrine.With continuous infusion of dopamine and norepinephrine,the vital signs were maintained within normal ranges.Inotropic and vasopressor support was required for over 6 h after the initial loading dose of DMED.CONCLUSION DMED administration following BPB could trigger hemodynamic instability in patients with decreased cardiac function as well as in healthy individuals.

Clinical application of ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block in rapid rehabilitation surgery for hand trauma

BACKGROUND Anesthesia plays an essential role in the successful surgical procedures for hand trauma.Compared with general anesthesia,brachial plexus block shows lots of benefits for the upper extremity.Specifically,ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block may overcome the issues of incomplete block and failure of anesthesia in such circumstances.The present study assessed the efficacy of ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block in clinical practice.AIM To explore the efficacy of ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block in rapid recovery surgery for hand trauma.METHODS A total of 68 patients with traumatic hand injuries treated at our hospital from January 2018 to June 2019 were selected.They were divided into an observation group and a control group with 34 patients in each group.The observation group underwent selective brachial plexus block guided by ultrasound and the control group underwent conventional brachial plexus block.The analgesic efficacy,intraoperative complications,wound healing time,and length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups under different anesthesia.RESULTS The percentage of cases with analgesia graded as“excellent or very good”was higher in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).Moreover,the incidence of intraoperative complications was lower and the wound healing time and length of hospital stay were shorter in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided selective proximal and distal brachial plexus block has remarkable analgesic efficacy in patients with traumatic hand injuries.It can reduce the incidence of intraoperative complications,promote wound healing,and shorten the length of hospital stay.

Comparison of Patient Satisfaction between Brachial Plexus Block (Axillary Approach) and General Anesthesia for Surgical Treatment of Distal Radius Fractures: A Historical Cohort Study

Background: Distal radius fracture surgery is performed under general (GA) or regional anesthesia with brachial plexus block (NB). Whether anesthesia type affects patient outcomes is unclear. This study retrospectively compared patient satisfaction between GA and NB after surgery. Methods: This was a historical cohort study of 80 (34 GA and 46 NB) patients who underwent volar plate fixation of distal radius fractures. Propensity score analysis was used to generate a set of matched cases (NB) and controls (GA), yielding 14 matched patient-pairs. The simplified patient satisfaction scale was compared for primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were anesthesia and surgery duration, hospital stay length, adverse events, postoperative analgesic requirement, and wrist range of motion (ROM) 2 weeks and 3 months postoperatively. Results: After propensity score matching, patients in almost all cases in both groups were “Satisfied” (effect size: 0.1, p = 0.572), indicating little significant difference. Significant differences in adverse events and postoperative analgesic use observed before matching disappeared after matching. Anesthesia duration and hospital stay length were significantly shorter in the NB group (effect size: -1.27 and -0.77, p = 0.00074 and p = 0.0388, respectively), as was surgery duration (effect size: -0.84, p = 0.0122) after matching. Similar to before matching, wrist ROM significantly improved in the NB group (effect size: 1.11, p = 0.0279) in the early postoperative period, but the difference disappeared at 3 months postoperatively. Conclusions: Patient satisfaction between distal radius fracture surgery under GA and NB was similar. Nerve block could help shorten hospital stay length and surgery duration and improve postoperative functional recovery.

Combined thoracic paravertebral block and interscalene brachial plexus block for modified radical mastectomy:A case report

BACKGROUND Modified radical mastectomy(MRM)is the most common surgical treatment for breast cancer.General anesthesia poses a challenge in fragile MRM patients,including cardiovascular instability,insufficient postoperative pain control,nausea and vomiting.Thoracic paravertebral block(TPVB)is adequate for simple mastectomy,but its combination with interscalene brachial plexus block(IBPB)has not yet been proved to be an effective anesthesia method for MRM.CASE SUMMARY We describe our experience of anesthesia and pain management in 10 patients with multiple comorbidities.An ultrasound-guided TPVB was placed at T2-T3 and T5-T6,and combined with IBPB,with administration of 10,15 and 5 mL of 0.5%ropivacaine,respectively.A satisfactory anesthetic effect was proved by the absence of ipsilateral tactile sensation within 30 min.Propofol 3 mg/kg/h and oxygen supplementation via a nasal cannula were administered during surgery.None of the patients required additional narcotics,vasopressors,or conversion to general anesthesia.The maximum pain score was 2 on an 11-point numerical rating scale.Two patients required one dose of celecoxib 8 h postoperatively and none reported nausea or emesis.CONCLUSION This case series demonstrated that combined two-site TPVB and small-volume IBPB with sedation can be used as an alternative anesthetic modality for MRM,providing good postoperative analgesia.

Clinical Observation on Brachial Plexus Block with “One Injection Two Points” Method Guiding by Ultrasound

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effect of brachial plexus block with "One Injection Two Points" guided under ultrasound and the conventional method guiding by ultrasound. METHODS: 70 patients were randomized evenly into 2 groups, with 35 patients in each group, while the Experiment Group(Group B) received One Injection Two Points" method, the Control Group(Group A) received the conventional method.The nerve block every 5 s, the success rate of anesthesia, the dosage of local anesthetics, second remedial anesthesia, adverse reactions, etc.were recorded. RESULTS: Group B was superior to group A in the success rate of anesthesia; There were 6 patients in group A who required constant pump injection of Remifentanil to remedy, while no patients in Group B needed remedy treatment. There were no serious adverse reactions in both groups.CONCLUSIONS: The clinical effect of brachial plexus block with "One Injection Two Points" method guided under ultrasoundguiding by ultrasound was superior to that of the conventional method.

Ultrasound guidance for brachial plexus block decreases the incidence of complete hemi-diaphragmatic paresis or vascular punctures and improves success rate of brachial plexus nerve block compared with peripheral nerve stimulator in adults

Background The use of traditional techniques （such as landmark techniques, paresthesia and peripheral nerve stimulator） for upper-limb anesthesia has often been restricted to the expert or enthusiast, which was blind. Recently, ultrasound （US） has been applied to differ blood vessel, pleura and nerve, thus may reduce the risk of complications while have a high rate of success. The aim of this study was to determine if the use of ultrasound guidance （vs. peripheral nerve stimulator, （PNS）） decreases risk of vascular puncture, risk of hemi-diaphragmatic paresis and risk of Homer syndrome and improves the success rate of nerve block. Methods A search strategy was developed to identify randomized control trials （RCTs） reporting on complications of US and PNS guidance for upper-extremity peripheral nerve blocks （brachial plexus） in adults available through PubMed databases, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase databases, SinoMed databases and Wanfang data （date up to 2011-12-20）. Two independent reviewers appraised eligible studies and extracted data. Risk ratios （OR） were calculated for each outcome and presented with 95% confidence intervals （CI） with the software of Review Manager 5.1.0 System （Cochrane Library）. Results Sixteen trials involving 1321 adults met our criteria were included for analysis. Blocks performed using US guidance were more likely to be successful （risk ratio （RR） for block success 0.36, 95% CI 0.23-0.56, P 〈0.00001）, decreased incidence of vascular puncture during block performance （RR 0.13, 95% CI 0.06-0.27, P 〈0.00001）, decreased the risk of complete hemi-diaphragmatic paresis （RR 0.09, 95% CI 0.03-0.52, P=-0.0001）. Conclusions US decreases risks of complete hemi-diaphragmatic paresis or vascular puncture and improves success rate of brachial plexus nerve block compared with techniques that utilize PNS for nerve localization. Larger studies are needed to determine whether or not the use of US can decrease risk of neurologic complications.

Structure of the brachial plexus root and adjacent regions displayed by ultrasound imaging

Brachial plexuses of 110 healthy volunteers were examined using high resolution color Doppler ultrasound. Ultrasonic characteristics and anatomic variation in the intervertebral foramen, interscalene, supraclavicular and infraclavicular, as well as the axillary brachial plexus were investigated. Results confirmed that the normal brachial plexus on cross section exhibited round or elliptic hypoechoic texture. Longitudinal section imaging showed many parallel linear hypo-moderate echoes, with hypo-echo. The transverse processes of the seventh cervical vertebra, the scalene space, the subclavian artery and the deep cervical artery are important markers in an examination. The display rates for the interscalene, and supraclavicular and axillary brachial plexuses were 100% each, while that for the infraclavicular brachial plexus was 97%. The region where the normal brachial plexus root traversed the intervertebral foramen exhibited a regular hypo-echo. The display rate for the C5-7 nerve roots was 100%, while those for C8 and T1 were 83% and 68%, respectively. A total of 20 of the 110 subjects underwent cervical CT scan. High-frequency ultrasound can clearly display the outline of the transverse processes of the vertebrae, which were consistent with CT results. These results indicate that high-frequency ultrasound provides a new method for observing the morphology of the brachial plexus. The C~ vertebra is a marker for identifying the position of brachial plexus nerve roots.

Giant tumor resection under ultrasound-guided nerve block in a patient with severe asthma:A case report

BACKGROUND General anesthesia in critically ill patients is associated with increased risk of complications.Nerve block anesthesia is an alternative,but could be challenging in cases with surgical field that involves multiple dermatomes.CASE SUMMARY We report resection of a giant lipoma in the left shoulder and upper back under supraclavicular brachial plexus block plus T3-4 paravertebral block in an older patient with severe asthma.A 70-year-old patient presented with a slow-growing giant mass(25,15 and 5 cm in length,width and depth,respectively)that extended from the lateral side of the left scapula to the axillary midline,and from the T5 thoracic vertebra intercostal to the mid-medial section of the left upper arm.He had sharp intermittent pain over the mass for the past 7 d.The patient also had severe bronchial asthma for the past 8 years.A pulmonary function test revealed only 20%of the predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1,0.49 L).After controlling asthma with glucocorticoid,the tumor was resected under ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block and T3-4 paravertebral block.The surgery was completed without incident.CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided regional nerve block is a viable alternative for patients with poor cardiopulmonary function undergoing shoulder,back and axillary surgery.