Ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block improves the success rate in patients with radial club hands when compared with nerve stimulation in patients undergoing radial club hand correction.
After a quadratus lumborum (QL) block, the course of QL plane catheter is unpredictable. This case series discusses the course and fate of trans-muscular QL catheters by following and discussing the contrast spread through the fascial planes. Intrao-peratively, the catheters were tracked by the surgeons and were checked for integrity of anterior thoracolumbar fascia (ATLF) by injecting sterile 0.9% saline. The ATLF was intact upon injection and there was cephalad and medial saline spread with slight bulging of ATLF. On day 3 after written informed consent from all patients, computed tomography (CT) contrast studies were performed. Post-operative contrast spread was variable and was visualised in transversus abdominis plane, QL plane, lower thoracic paravertebral space, inter-vertebral foramina and anterior epidural space. CT contrast images demonstrated a variable spread. In conclusion, injection in ATLF of QL can spread along the path of least resistance and is unpredictable.
After institutional ethics committee approval and informed consent, 20 patients with clavicle fractures were recruited. An ultrasound-guided C5 root block was performed by injecting 3 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine with a subsequent ultrasound-guided supraclavicular nerve (SCN) block with 3 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine. A combination of low-volume C5 root block and SCN block provided reliable awake anesthesia and postoperative analgesia in patients with fractured clavicles. This technique can avoid a general anesthesia for fractures of the mid and lateral clavicle. Further studies should focus on the optimal volume of local anesthetics required for the success of this technique.
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