Operative management in axillary brachial plexus blocks: comparison of ultrasound and nerve stimulation

Given a case-by-case accounting system, the analysis of medical performance becomes increasingly important. Quality of treatment and the time effort attached play an important role. Anaesthesia procedures require a high level of quality and safety. Moreover, they are personnel intensive. In the area...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Der Anaesthesist 2006-04, Vol.55 (4), p.451-456
Main Authors: Schwemmer, U, Schleppers, A, Markus, C, Kredel, M, Kirschner, S, Roewer, N
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Adult
Anesthesia, Conduction
Anesthetics, Local
Axilla - diagnostic imaging
Body Mass Index
Brachial Plexus - diagnostic imaging
Electric Stimulation
Female
Humans
Male
Mepivacaine
Middle Aged
Nerve Block - methods
Treatment Outcome
Ultrasonography
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Summary:Given a case-by-case accounting system, the analysis of medical performance becomes increasingly important. Quality of treatment and the time effort attached play an important role. Anaesthesia procedures require a high level of quality and safety. Moreover, they are personnel intensive. In the area of regional anaesthesia, new procedures such as the use of high definition ultrasonography for nerve blocks, allow a possible time gain as well as improved quality. The aim of this investigation was to analyze the impact on time and results when using ultrasonography or nerve stimulation for axillary brachial plexus blocks. Therefore, over a time period of 9 months, the ultrasound-guided plexus anaesthesia (Sono) and the neurostimulation methods (NStim) were investigated based upon the anaesthesia documentation of patients undergoing hand surgery. Only those cases were included where an axillary brachial plexus block had been performed, incomplete protocols were excluded and 1.5% mepivacaine was used as medication. Overall, a total of 130 cases fulfilled these criteria. The success rates, time consumption and timelines were evaluated. All data was stored on an Excel-sheet and statistically evaluated. The results revealed a significant increase in the success rate for the patient group where ultrasound was used (98.2% Sono vs 83.1% NStim) and the operation could begin 15 min earlier in the Sono group (5 min vs. 20 min, p
ISSN:1432-055X
DOI:10.1007/s00101-006-0976-9