To validate the efficacy of miniaturized ultrasound needle transducer as the primary guide for thoracic regional anesthesia.
Paravertebral (PVB) and intercostal nerve block (ICNB) are both techniques of injecting local anesthetics for pain management at thoracic and upper abdominal region. Today, PVB and ICNB are performed under the guidance of surface two dimensional B-mode ultrasound. However, the procedure still carries potential risks for inexperienced operators since the target zone is very close (2-3 mm) to the pleura. In certain patients, such as those with obesity, the steep needle trajectory and poor quality of the anatomic image make the nerve block even more difficult. Inaccurate identification of the anatomical structures or suboptimal positioning of the needle tip could result in complications and blockade failure. We designed an intra-needle ultrasound (INUS) system to improve the identification of anatomical structures and needle tip position. The system passed all safety standards including electrical safety test, biocompatibility test, software certification. This study is to investigate the feasibility and image quality of INUS during ICNB and PVB. The study protocol is approved and under monitoring for safety and compliance from both Institutional Review Board of Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
40
Intercostal nerve block is a regional anesthetic procedure for peri-operative pain management. It inhibits the action of the ipsilateral sensory and motor branches, and produces analgesic effects at the targeted thoracic level.
Paravertebral block is the technique of injecting local anesthetic alongside the thoracic vertebra close to where the spinal nerves emerge from the intervertebral foramen. This produces unilateral, segmental, somatic, and sympathetic nerve blockade, which is effective for anesthesia and in treating acute and chronic pain of unilateral origin from the chest and abdomen
Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Taipei, Taiwan, R.o.c., Taiwan
RECRUITINGNeedling time
Needle insertion to needle withdrawal (minutes)
Time frame: Needle insertion to needle withdrawal, up to 20 minutes
Nerve block procedure time
How long the procedure takes in minutes, starting from ultrasound contact with skin to needle withdrawal
Time frame: Time from ultrasound contact with skin to needle withdrawal, up to 20 minutes
Success rate of blockade
Successful blockade will be determined by 1.ultrasound evidence of ideal spreading or 2.evidence of fluid accumulation around intercostal nerves or at paravertebral space under thoracoscope, or 3. loss of cold sensation on the chest or abdomen at block level.
Time frame: 20 minutes post administration of local anesthetics (by ultrasound or cold sensation) or intraoperative (at the time of video-thoracoscope exploration)
Visibility of needle tip and anatomic structure
Record the visibility of needle tip, intercostal muscle, superior costotransverse ligament, pleura. Assessed by the inserting anesthetist on a 5 point Likert scale
Time frame: During block procedure, up to 60 minutes.
Inadvertent pleural puncture or pneumothorax
Calculate the rate of Inadvertent pleural puncture or pneumothorax, defined by image evidence of pleura injuries or pneumothorax by thoracoscope, X-ray, or CT.
Time frame: 20 minutes post-procedure or intraoperative (if needle injuries on pleura noted by thoracoscope)
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