Intermittent bolus versus continuous infusion popliteal sciatic nerve block following major foot and ankle surgery: a prospective randomized comparison

2019 ◽  
pp. rapm-2018-100301
Author(s):  
Anthony James Short ◽  
Meela Ghosh ◽  
Rongyu Jin ◽  
Vincent W S Chan ◽  
Ki Jinn Chin

Background and objectivesFoot and ankle surgery is associated with severe pain that can be reduced with continuous popliteal sciatic nerve block. We tested the hypothesis that programmed intermittent bolus (PIB) delivery of local anesthetic provides superior analgesia to a continuous infusion (CI) regimen.Methods60 patients undergoing major foot and ankle surgery were randomized to receive PIB (10 mL of ropivacaine 0.2% every 2 hours) or CI (5 mL/hour) continuous popliteal sciatic nerve block with patient-controlled regional analgesia (5 mL every 30 min as needed) provided for all. Primary outcome was the average of static and dynamic numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores through 48 hours. Secondary outcomes included rest and movement NRS pain scores at different timepoints, opioid consumption, local anesthetic consumption, intensity of sensory and motor block, patient satisfaction and the incidence of opioid-related side effects.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the primary outcome of average NRS pain score through 48 hours, opioid consumption or the volume of local anesthetic administered. Patients in group PIB had significantly decreased strength of toe dorsiflexion at 6 hours (p=0.007) and 12 hours (p=0.001) and toe plantarflexion at 12 hours (p=0.004). Patient satisfaction and the incidence of side effects was similar between groups.ConclusionsBoth CI and PIB regimens provided excellent analgesia, low opioid consumption and high patient satisfaction. While there was no difference in analgesic outcomes, PIB dosing resulted in a more profound motor block.Trial registration numberNCT02707874.

2020 ◽  
pp. rapm-2020-101709
Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar Karmakar ◽  
Miguel A Reina ◽  
Ranjith Kumar Sivakumar ◽  
Pornpatra Areeruk ◽  
Jatuporn Pakpirom ◽  
...  

The popliteal sciatic nerve block is routinely used for anesthesia and analgesia during foot and ankle surgery. This article reviews our current understanding of the anatomy of the sciatic nerve and discusses how fascial tissue layers associated with the nerve may affect block outcomes . The anatomy of the sciatic nerve is more complex than previously described. The tibial and common peroneal nerves within the sciatic nerve trunk appear to be centrally separated by the Compton-Cruveilhier septum and encompassed by their own paraneural sheaths. This unique internal architecture of the sciatic nerve appears to promote proximal spread of local anesthetic to the internal aspect of the sciatic nerve trunk after a subparaneural injection at or below the divergence of the tibial and common peroneal nerves.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011418S0046
Author(s):  
Andrew Stith ◽  
Matthew Griffin ◽  
Thomas Haytmanek ◽  
Christopher Hirose

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Poorly controlled post-operative pain is a common cause of patient dissatisfaction. With future emphasis on value-based medicine, optimization of cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction is critical. Popliteal and saphenous nerve blocks are routinely use in foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery and have become the gold standard for immediate post-operative analgesia. Traditionally a single long-acting local anesthetic agent is utilized which achieves analgesia for 6-24 hours. Recent evidence has shown that multimodal anesthesia with combined anesthetic agents remains effective for a longer duration compared to single-medication nerve blocks. The purpose of this study is to determine if patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery safely benefit from multi-modal compared with traditional single-medication nerve blocks. Methods: This was a two-armed, prospective, randomized, double-blinded study. The study population consisted of 70 patients from a single institution undergoing foot and ankle surgery by two fellowship-trained orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons. 34 patients received a local anesthetic only popliteal and saphenous nerve block (Bupivacaine) and the other 36 patients received a triple additive nerve block (Dexamethasone, Clonidine, and Buprenorphine) in addition to Bupivacaine. Pre- and Post-operative assessments were performed to determine VAS pain scores, numbness, duration of anesthesia, patient satisfaction with analgesia, and oral pain medication use. Results: Triple additive (TA) nerve block mean duration to onset of pain was longer than for single agent (LA) nerve blocks (40.2 hrs vs 24.3 hrs respectively). Time to complete block resolution was also longer for the TA nerve blocks (82.3 hours) compared to LA blocks (38.7 hrs). 17/34 TA block patients had residual numbness at 1 week compared to 5/36 LA block patients. However, by 3 months there was no difference (8/34 TA and 7/36 LA). There was no significant difference in VAS scores or patient satisfaction rates at 1 week or 3 months. 7/34 TA block patients required narcotic refills compared to 6/36 LA block patients. There was no significant difference in complications between the groups. Conclusion: Triple agent nerve blocks give a longer duration of effective postoperative analgesia compared to single agent blocks. There was a higher rate of lingering numbness in the triple agent blocks at one week but not at 3 months. Patient satisfaction was very high for both groups regardless of their VAS pain scores. Triple agent nerve blocks demonstrate equivalent safety compared with single agent nerve blocks.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011417S0003
Author(s):  
Ryan Mulligan ◽  
Joel Morash ◽  
James DeOrio ◽  
Selene Parekh

Category: Ankle, Ankle Arthritis Introduction/Purpose: The use of liposomal bupivacaine (LB) has recently gained popularity in joint arthroplasty. Despite it’s proven safety and efficacy, there is little reported on the use of LB in foot and ankle surgery. Catheter placement for a continuous popliteal sciatic nerve block (CPSNB) has an excellent track record for pain relief, and is commonly used by our group for major foot and ankle reconstructions. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of intraoperative LB injection to CPSNB as a regional anesthetic for total ankle arthroplasty (TAA), with attention to postoperative pain scores, narcotic use, and complications. Methods: Retrospective review of TAA patients treated by two fellowship-trained orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons was performed. Patient demographic data, operative, and postoperative details were collected, including type of regional anesthetic used. Patient’s received either preoperative single-shot popliteal sciatic nerve block with 0.25% bupivacaine followed by intraoperative injection of LB, or preoperative CPSNB alone. Outcomes examined were VAS pain score at 8 hours, 24 hours, 1 week, and 3 weeks following surgery, need for opioid pain medication refill, physician office notification for pain issues or other adverse events, and complications within the first 90 days following surgery. Standard statistical analysis was performed and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 75 patients were identified who underwent TAA and met inclusion criteria. 41 received LB and 34 received CPSNB. No statistical difference was seen between groups with regard to complications, emergency department visits, readmissions, reoperations, VAS pain score at any time point, physician office contacts, and narcotic refills. Mean VAS with LB use was 1.8, 3.5, 2.6, and 2.2 at 8 hours, 24 hours, 1 week, and 3 weeks respectively, compared with mean VAS 2.1, 3.2, 2.2, and 1.9 at similar time points for CPSNB (p=0.59, 0.65, 0.27, and 0.40, respectively). 16 of 41 LB patients needed narcotic refills, versus 12 of 34 CPSNB patients (p=0.81). 3 of 41 LB patients had a complication postoperatively, versus 4 of 34 CPSNB patients. Conclusion: This is the first study evaluating the use of LB for total ankle arthroplasty. LB was both safe and effective for postoperative pain control, with comparable results to CPSNB. As LB gains more widespread use in foot and ankle surgery, further investigation is warranted to determine potential unseen complications and cost-effectiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsuan-Hsiao Ma ◽  
Te-Feng Arthur Chou ◽  
Shang-Wen Tsai ◽  
Cheng-Fong Chen ◽  
Po-Kuei Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Continuous popliteal sciatic nerve block (CPSNB) has been performed in outpatient foot and ankle surgery as a regional anesthesia method to relieve postoperative pain. Its efficacy as well as safety is yet to be established. There are two purposes of this study: (1) to validate the efficacy of CPSNB with regards to better pain relief and reduced analgesics consumption; (2) to assess the safety of CPSNB. Methods We performed a comprehensive literature review on Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, PubMed and Embase and only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Five RCTs that compared the efficacy and safety of CPSNB with the single-injection popliteal sciatic nerve block group were included. The primary outcome parameters were visual analog scale (VAS) scores at postoperative 24, 48 and 72 h. The secondary outcome parameters were amount of oral analgesics consumed, overall patient satisfaction and need of admission after surgery. A sensitivity analysis was performed to explore the consistency of the results. Results In comparison with the single-injection group, CPSNB was associated with a lower VAS score at postoperative 24 and 48 h (p < 0.05). There were no neuropathic symptoms or infection events after the nerve block. However, there were several minor complications associated with the pump and catheter system, with drug leakage being the most common complication (N = 26 of 187, 13.9%). Conclusion CPSNB is an effective method in pain management for outpatient foot and ankle surgery. Both methods appear to be safe as none of the patients experienced neuropathic symptoms or infection. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to compare the risk of major complications between the two methods. Level of evidence I; meta-analysis.


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