Pre-procedural ultrasound scanning has been used to facilitate spinal anaesthesia in patients with difficult anatomical landmarks and shown to improve first-attempt success rates in some studies. We studied whether pre-procedural ultrasound scanning improved first-attempt success rate and decreased time taken for the procedure in the general adult population. In this prospective, randomised controlled trial, 170 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 to 3 patients aged between 21 and 80 years were recruited. Informed consent was obtained. Patients were randomised into two groups, ultrasound-guided identification of landmarks (Ultrasound Group) and manual palpation of landmarks (Manual Palpation Group). The primary outcome was first-attempt success rate and secondary outcomes were time taken to perform procedure, number of needle redirections, patient satisfaction and complications. The first-attempt success rate was 64% in the Ultrasound Group and 52% in the Manual Palpation Group (P=0.16). Time taken for procedure was shorter in the Ultrasound Group compared to the Manual Palpation Group (2.9±3.6 minutes versus 3.9±3.7 minutes, P= 0.007). Patient satisfaction was higher in the Ultrasound Group. There were no differences in complications. As there was no statistically significant difference in first-attempt success rates between the two groups, existing evidence for routine pre-procedural scanning for all patients is inadequate. The current use of pre-procedural ultrasound scanning will probably be limited to selected patients where spinal anaesthesia may be technically challenging with conventional methods.

SummaryThe aim of this study was to create and evaluate the validity, reliability and feasibility of the Regional Anaesthesia Procedural Skills tool, designed for the assessment of all peripheral and neuraxial blocks using all nerve localisation techniques. The first phase was construction of a 25-item checklist by five regional anaesthesia experts using a Delphi process. This checklist was combined with a global rating scale to create the tool. In the second phase, initial validation by 10 independent anaesthetists using a test-retest methodology was successful (Cohen kappa ≥ 0.70 for interrater agreement, scores between test to retest, paired t-test, p > 0.12). In the third phase, 70 clinical videos of trainees were scored by three blinded international assessors. The RAPS tool exhibited face validity (p < 0.026), construct validity (p < 0.001), feasibility (mean time to score < 3.9 min), and overall reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.80 (95% CI 0.67-0.88)). The Regional Anaesthesia Procedural Skills tool used in this study is a valid and reliable assessment tool to score the performance of trainees for regional anaesthesia.

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The aim of this prospective, blinded, randomised controlled study was to compare novices' acquisition of the technical skills of ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia using either a meat phantom model or fresh-frozen human cadavers. The primary outcome was the time taken to successfully perform an ultrasound-guided sciatic nerve block on a cadaver; secondary outcomes were the cumulative score of errors, and best image quality of the sciatic nerve achieved. After training, the median (IQR [range]) time taken to perform the block was 311(164-390 [68-600]) s in the meat model trained group and 210 (174-354 [85-600]) s in the fresh-frozen cadaver trained group (p = 0.24). Participants made a median (IQR [range]) of 18 (14-33 [8-55]) and 15 (12-22 [8-44]) errors in the two groups respectively (p = 0.39). The image quality score was also not different, with a median (IQR [range]) of 62.5 (59.4-65.6 [25.0-100.0])% vs 62.5 (62.5-75.0 [25.0-87.5])% respectively (p = 0.58). The training and deliberate feedback improved all participants' block performance, the median (IQR [range]) times being 310 (206-532 [110-600]) s before and 240 (174-354 [85-600]) s after training (p = 0.02). We conclude that novices taught ultrasound scanning and needle guidance skills using an inexpensive and easily constructed meat model perform similarly to those trained on a cadaveric model.

BackgroundInterscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) provides excellent analgesia for arthroscopic shoulder surgeries but is associated with adverse effects including hemidiaphragmatic paresis. We aimed to compare the respiratory effects, forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) between suprascapular nerve block (SSB) and ISB.MethodsSixty patients were recruited and randomized into ISB, anterior SSB, and posterior SSB groups. FVC, FEV1, and diaphragmatic excursion were evaluated at baseline and 30 minutes after intervention. Blocks were performed under ultrasound guidance with 15 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine. Pain scores were assessed at 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively.ResultsThe ISB group showed a reduced FVC of 31.2% ± 17.5% (mean ± SD), while the anterior and posterior SSB groups had less reduction of 3.6% ± 18.6% and 6.8% ± 6.5%, respectively (P < 0.001). The ISB group showed more reduction in diaphragmatic excursion than the anterior and posterior SSB groups (median [IQR]): −85.7% (−95.3% to −63.3%) vs. −1.8% (−13.1% to 2.3%) and −1.2% (−8.8% to 16.8%), respectively (P < 0.001). The median pain scores (IQR) in the ISB and anterior SSB groups were lower than those in the posterior SSB group at 6 hours on movement: 0 (0–2), 1.8 (0–4.5) vs. 5 (2.5–8), respectively (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in oxycodone consumption postoperatively.ConclusionsAnterior SSB preserves lung function and has a comparable analgesic effect as ISB. Thus, it is recommended for arthroscopic shoulder surgeries, especially in patients who have reduced lung function.