Peripheral Anesthesia Flashcards
Benefits of Peripheral Anesthesia
•Peripheral anesthesia provides potent analgesia and may decrease systemic analgesic requirements, opioid related side effects, general anesthesia requirements and the development of chronic pain
Risks of Peripheral Anesthesia
Bleeding, infection, nerve injury, LAST
Absolute and relative contraindications of peripheral anesthesia
Patient cooperation, bleeding disorders and anticoagulation, infection around needle insertion site, peripheral neuropathies
Patients who might especially benefit from peripheral anesthesia include ___.
those with multiple comorbidities, benefit from opioid sparing technique (OSA, PONV) or with chronic pain
Procedural Selection
- Understanding of regional anatomy and the surgical procedure are important when considering the appropriateness of a peripheral anesthetic.
- Surgical components, such as, tourniquet placement, bone grafting, projected surgical duration should be discussed with surgical colleagues.
Field Block (general facts)
•A field block is a local anesthetic injection that targets terminal cutaneous nerves. (commonly used by surgeons to minimize pain)
Field blocks can also be used by CRNAs for superficial cervical plexus and intercostobrachial nerves
Nerve Stimulation Technique
An insulated needle concentrates electrical current at the needle tip, while a wire attached to the needle hub connects to a nerve stimulator—a battery-powered machine that emits a small amount (0–5 mA) of electric current at a set frequency (usually 1 or 2 Hz)
When the insulated needle tip is placed in proximity to a motor nerve, specific muscle contractions are induced, and local anesthetic is injected
*can’t see how much you are injecting
Ultrasound (mechanism of action)
- Ultrasound uses high-frequency (1–20 MHz) sound waves emitted from piezoelectric crystals that travel at different rates through tissues of different densities, returning a signal to the transducer.
- Depending on the amplitude of signal received, the crystals deform to create an electronic voltage that is converted into a two-dimensional grayscale image
Echogenicity
–Hypoechoic: structures which sound pass easily and appear dark or black on the ultrasound screen. (air or fluid)
–Hyperechoic: structures reflecting more sound waves appear brighter or white on the ultrasound screen.
The popliteal fossa contains __
- popliteal artery
- popliteal vein
- small saphenous vein
- tibial nerve
- common fibular nerve
- popliteal lymph nodes
For ultrasound imaging, the anesthesia professional must select the transducer that ___.
strikes the optimal balance between the highest possible frequency and tissue penetration to the appropriate depth
High-frequency transducers provide ___.
a high-resolution picture poor tissue penetration and are therefore used predominantly for more superficial structures
Low-frequency transducers provide ____.
an image of poorer quality but have better tissue penetration and are therefore used for deeper structures.
Linear probes ___.
do not distort images but curved probes may have benefits for deeper structures
Which tenchique results in a smaller volume of local anesthetic?
Ultrasound technique usually results in a far smaller injected volume (10–30 mL) of local anesthetic as compared to nerve stimulation technique
Axis and Plane
Needle insertion can pass either parallel (in-plane) or not parallel (out-of-plane) to the plane of the ultrasound waves
Nerves are best imaged in cross section, where they have a characteristic honeycomb appearance (short-axis)
How do you confirm orientation of the ultrasound?
Confirm orientation of the probe relative to the image on the ultrasound screen
Every transducer has a fixed label on one end that corresponds to an adjustable label on the left or right side of the US screen
Color Doppler
- Blood moving away from the transducer will return at a lower frequency than the original emitted wave and is represented by blue.
- Blood moving toward the transducer will return at a higher frequency than the original emitted wave and is represented by red.
What happens when the depth is set too high?
decreases the size of the target structures displayed on the ultrasound screen
What is a dropout?
Dropouts are an actual loss of image
They normally manifest as black lines running down the image.
You will want to determine if the issue is with the probe or the system. Try moving the probe cable and connector on the system to see if dropout moves/changes. Also try testing multiple probes on different ports and on another system. All of this will help determine if it is caused by the probe or the system.
Equipment needed for a nerve block
- Needle Type
- Skin Prep
- Probe Cover