Replacement of Fascia Iliaca Catheters with Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Blocks Within a Clinical Pathway Facilitates Early Ambulation After Total Hip Arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal continuous peripheral nerve block (CPNB) technique for total hip arthroplasty (THA) that maximizes both analgesia and mobility is unknown. Continuous erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks were implemented at our institution as a replacement for fascia iliaca (FI) catheters to improve our THA clinical pathway. We designed this study to test the hypothesis that this change will increase early postoperative ambulation for elective primary THA patients. METHODS: We identified all consecutive primary unilateral THA cases six months before and six months after the clinical pathway change to ESP catheters. All other aspects of the THA clinical pathway and multimodal analgesic regimen including perineural infusion protocol did not change. The primary outcome was total ambulation distance (meters) on postoperative day 1. Other outcomes included total ambulation on postoperative day 2, combined two-day ambulation distance, pain scores, opioid consumption, inpatient length of stay, and minor and major adverse events. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients comprised the final sample (43 FI and 45 ESP). Postoperative day 1 total ambulation distance was greater for the ESP group compared with the FI group (median [10th-90th percentiles] = 24.4 [0.0-54.9] vs 9.1 [0.7-45.7] meters, respectively, P = 0.036), and two-day ambulation distance was greater for the ESP group compared with the FI group (median [10th-90th percentiles] = 68.6 [9.0-128.0] vs 46.6 [3.7-104.2] meters, respectively, P = 0.038). There were no differences in pain scores, opioid use, or other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Replacing FI catheters with continuous ESP blocks within a clinical pathway results in increased early ambulation by elective primary THA patients.

Comparative Echogenicity of an Epidural Catheter and 2 New Catheters Designed for Ultrasound-Guided Continuous Peripheral Nerve Blocks.

Visualization of the catheter during ultrasound-guided continuous nerve block performance may be difficult but is an essential skill for regional anesthesiologists. The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate 2 newer catheters designed for enhanced echogenicity and compare them to a widely used catheter not purposely designed for ultrasound guidance. Outcomes were the numbers of first-place rankings among all 3 catheters and scores on individual echogenicity criteria as assessed by 2 blinded reviewers. Catheters designed for echogenicity are not superior to an older regional anesthesia catheter, and results suggest that catheter preference for ultrasound-guided placement may be subjective.

A pilot study to assess adductor canal catheter tip migration in a cadaver model.

An adductor canal catheter may facilitate early ambulation after total knee arthroplasty, but there is concern over preoperative placement since intraoperative migration of catheters may occur from surgical manipulation and result in ineffective analgesia. We hypothesized that catheter type and subcutaneous tunneling may influence tip migration for preoperatively inserted adductor canal catheters. In a male unembalmed human cadaver, 20 catheter insertion trials were divided randomly into one of four groups: flexible epidural catheter either tunneled or not tunneled; or rigid stimulating catheter either tunneled or not tunneled. Intraoperative patient manipulation was simulated by five range-of-motion exercises of the knee. Distance and length measurements were performed by a blinded regional anesthesiologist. Changes in catheter tip to nerve distance (p = 0.225) and length of catheter within the adductor canal (p = 0.467) were not different between the four groups. Two of five non-tunneled stimulating catheters (40 %) were dislodged compared to 0/5 in all other groups (p = 0.187). A cadaver model may be useful for assessing migration of regional anesthesia catheters; catheter type and subcutaneous tunneling may not affect migration of adductor canal catheters based on this preliminary study. However, future studies involving a larger sample size, actual patients, and other catheter types are warranted.

More Than a Perioperative Surgical Home: An Opportunity for Anesthesiologists to Advance Public Health.

Public health and the medical specialty of anesthesiology have been closely intertwined throughout history, dating back to the 1800s when Dr. John Snow used contact tracing methods to identify the Broad Street Pump as the source of a cholera outbreak in London. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in anesthesiology and anesthesia patient safety came forward to develop swift recommendations in the face of rapidly changing evidence to help protect patients and healthcare workers. While these high-profile examples may seem like uncommon events, there are many common modern-day public health issues that regularly intersect with anesthesiology and surgery. These include, but are not limited to, smoking; chronic opioid use and opioid use disorder; and obstructive sleep apnea. As an evolving medical specialty that encompasses pre- and postoperative care and acute and chronic pain management, anesthesiologists are uniquely positioned to improve patient care and outcomes and promote long-lasting behavioral changes to improve overall health. In this article, we make the case for advancing the role of the anesthesiologist beyond the original perioperative surgical home model into promoting public health initiatives within the perioperative period.

Recommendations for effective documentation in regional anesthesia: an expert panel Delphi consensus project.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Documentation is important for quality improvement, education, and research. There is currently a lack of recommendations regarding key aspects of documentation in regional anesthesia. The aim of this study was to establish recommendations for documentation in regional anesthesia. METHODS: Following the formation of the executive committee and a directed literature review, a long list of potential documentation components was created. A modified Delphi process was then employed to achieve consensus amongst a group of international experts in regional anesthesia. This consisted of 2 rounds of anonymous electronic voting and a final virtual round table discussion with live polling on items not yet excluded or accepted from previous rounds. Progression or exclusion of potential components through the rounds was based on the achievement of strong consensus. Strong consensus was defined as ≥75% agreement and weak consensus as 50%-74% agreement. RESULTS: Seventy-seven collaborators participated in both rounds 1 and 2, while 50 collaborators took part in round 3. In total, experts voted on 83 items and achieved a strong consensus on 51 items, weak consensus on 3 and rejected 29. CONCLUSION: By means of a modified Delphi process, we have established expert consensus on documentation in regional anesthesia.

Five-year follow-up to assess long-term sustainability of changing clinical practice regarding anesthesia and regional analgesia for lower extremity arthroplasty.

Background: Long-term and sustainable clinical practice changes in anesthesia procedures have not previously been reported. Therefore, we performed a 5-year audit following implementation of a clinical pathway change favoring spinal anesthesia for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We similarly evaluated a parallel cohort of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), who did not undergo a clinical pathway change, and studied utilization rates of continuous peripheral nerve block (CPNB). METHODS: We identified all primary unilateral TKA and THA cases completed from January 2013 through December 2018, thereby including clinical pathway change data from one-year pre-implementation to 5-years post-implementation. Our primary outcome was the overall application rate of spinal anesthesia. Secondary outcomes included CPNB utilization rate, 30-day postoperative complications, and resource utilization variables such as hospital readmission, emergency department visits, and blood transfusions. RESULTS: The sample included 1,859 cases, consisting of 1,250 TKAs and 609 THAs. During the initial year post-implementation, 174/221 (78.7%) TKAs received spinal anesthesia compared to 23/186 (12.4%) cases the year before implementation (P < 0.001). During the following 4-year period, 647/843 (77.2%) TKAs received spinal anesthesia (P = 0.532 vs. year 1). The number of THA cases receiving spinal anesthesia the year after implementation was 78/124 (62.9%), compared to 48/116 (41.4%) pre-implementation (P = 0.001); however, the rate decreased over the following 4-year period to 193/369 (52.3%) (P = 0.040 vs. year 1). CPNB use was high in both groups, and there were no differences in 30-day postoperative complications, hospital readmission, emergency department visits, or blood transfusions. CONCLUSIONS: A clinical pathway change promoting spinal anesthesia for TKA can be effectively implemented and sustained over a 5-year period.

Implementation of a patient-specific tapering protocol at discharge decreases total opioid dose prescribed for 6 weeks after elective primary spine surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: At our institution, we developed an individualized discharge opioid prescribing and tapering protocol for joint replacement patients and implemented the same protocol for neurosurgical spine patients. We then tested the hypothesis that this protocol will decrease the oral morphine milligram equivalent (MME) dose of opioid prescribed postdischarge after elective primary spine surgery. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified all consecutive elective primary spine surgery cases 1 year before and after introduction of the protocol. This protocol used the patient's prior 24-hour inpatient opioid consumption to determine discharge opioid pill count and tapering schedule. The primary outcome was total opioid dose prescribed in oral MME from discharge through 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital opioid consumption in MME, hospital length of stay, MME prescribed at discharge, opioid refills, and rates of minor and major adverse events. RESULTS: Eighty-three cases comprised the final sample (45 preintervention and 38 postintervention). There were no differences in baseline characteristics. The total oral MME (median (IQR)) from discharge through 6 weeks postoperatively was 900 (420-1440) preintervention compared with 300 (112-806) postintervention (p<0.01, Mann-Whitney U test), and opioid refill rates were not different between groups. There were no differences in other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This patient-specific prescribing and tapering protocol effectively decreases the total opioid dose prescribed for 6 weeks postdischarge after elective primary spine surgery. Our experience also demonstrates the potential generalizability of this protocol, which was originally designed for joint replacement patients, to other surgical populations.

Preoperative Ultrasound-Guided Botulinum Toxin A Injection Facilitates Closure of a Complex Abdominal Wall Hernia: A Case Report.

Complex abdominal wall hernia repairs can have high failure rates. Many surgical techniques have been proposed with variable success. We report our experience with a new collaborative protocol between general surgery and regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine services to provide preoperative botulinum toxin A injections to a patient with a large complex ventral hernia to facilitate primary closure. Toxin was administered into the 3 abdominal wall muscle layers under ultrasound guidance at multiple sites 2 weeks before surgery. The resulting flaccid paralysis of the abdominal musculature facilitated a successful primary surgical closure with no postoperative complications.

Randomized comparison of popliteal-sciatic perineural catheter tip migration and dislocation in a cadaver model using two catheter designs.

BACKGROUND: New catheter-over-needle (CON) technology for continuous peripheral nerve blockade has emerged, but its effect on the risk of perineural catheter tip dislocation is unknown. Less flexible catheters may be more likely to migrate away from the nerve with simulated patient movement. In the present study, we evaluated catheter tip migration between CON catheters and traditional catheter-through-needle (CTN) catheters during ultrasound-guided short-axis in-plane (SAX-IP) insertion. METHODS: We evaluated the migration of popliteal-sciatic catheters in a prone, unembalmed male cadaver. Thirty catheter placement trials were divided randomly into two groups based on the catheter type: CON or CTN. A single anesthesiology resident placed the catheters by SAX-IP insertion, and the catheters were then examined by ultrasound before and after ipsilateral knee range of motion (ROM) exercises (0°-130° flexion). A blinded expert regional anesthesiologist performed caliper measurements on the ultrasound images before and after the ROM exercises. The primary outcome was the change in distance from the catheter tip to the center of the nerve (cm) between before and after the ROM exercises. RESULTS: The change in the tip-to-nerve distance (median [10th-90th percentile]) was 0.06 (-0.16 to 0.23) cm for the CTN catheter and 0.00 (-0.12 to 0.69) for the CON catheter (P = 0.663). However, there was a statistically significant increase in dislocation out of the nerve compartment for the CON catheter (4/15; 0/15 for CTN) (P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: Although the use of different catheter designs had no effect on the change in the measured migration distance of popliteal-sciatic catheters, 27% of the CON catheters were dislocated out of the nerve compartment. These results may influence the choice of catheter design when using SAX-IP perineural catheter insertion.

Virtual reality distraction decreases routine intravenous sedation and procedure-related pain during preoperative adductor canal catheter insertion: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) distraction is a nonpharmacological method to prevent acute pain that has not yet been thoroughly explored for anesthesiology. We present our experience using VR distraction to decrease routine intravenous sedation for patients undergoing preoperative perineural catheter insertion. METHODS: This 1-month quality improvement project involved all elective unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty patients who received a preoperative adductor canal catheter. Clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. For the first half of the month, all patients received usual care; intravenous sedation was administered at the discretion of the regional anesthesiologist. For the second half of the month, patients were offered VR distraction with intravenous sedation upon request. The primary outcome was fentanyl dosage; other outcomes included midazolam dosage, procedure-related pain, procedural time, and blood pressure changes. RESULTS: Seven patients received usual care and seven used VR. In the VR group, 1/7 received intravenous sedation versus 6/7 who received usual care (P = 0.029). The fentanyl dose was lower (median [10th-90th percentiles]) in the VR group (0 [0-20] µg) versus the non-VR group (50 [30-100] µg; P = 0.008). Midazolam use was lower in the VR group (0 [0-0] mg) than in the non-VR group (1 [0-1] mg; P = 0.024). Procedure-related pain was lower in the VR group (1 [1-4] NRS) versus the non-VR group (3 [2-6] NRS; P = 0.032). There was no difference in other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: VR distraction may provide an effective nonpharmacological alternative to intravenous sedation for the ultrasound-guided placement of certain perineural catheters.