STELLATE GANGLION BLOCK Definition and Scope Complications from stellate ganglion block can arise from inadvertent vascular, epidural, or intrathecal injection (Box 22-3). Needle trauma can result in injuries to vessels…
ERRORS, DEFECTS, AND MISTAKE-PROOFING In manufacturing, the concept of quality includes the making of a product that performs as expected and has zero defects.1 This concept can be applied to…
FIGURE 32-1. Conventional RF lesion. A 10-cm RF cannula with a 5-mm active tip is immersed in egg white and a lesion is carried out at 80°C for 90 seconds….
REGIONAL ANESTHESIA Neuraxial Blocks for Regional Anesthesia Claims A total of 443 claims associated with nonobstetric neuraxial (epidural/spinal blockade) anesthesia in the surgical setting were identified in the ASA Closed…
DEFINITION Neurolytic blocks involve the destruction of a nerve and are commonly performed in patients with severe pain secondary to advanced cancer or occlusive vascular disease, while their use in…
THE TECHNIQUE OF EPIDURAL LYSIS OF ADHESIONS Our discussion is limited mostly to the procedure that involves accessing the epidural space via the sacral hiatus. This is similar to the…
THE DOCTRINE OF INFORMED CONSENT Definition of Informed Consent Informed consent is obtained when a patient intentionally agrees to treatment in the absence of external controlling influences, based on an…
DEFINITION Unintended neuraxial anesthesia is one of the most severe complications that can occur during performance of a peripheral or plexus block (Box 18-1). The interscalene approach to the brachial…
DEFINITION The term toxicity, as it is considered in regional anesthesia and pain medicine, refers generally to the effects of substances that are injurious to tissues and/or the body. In…
DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) may result from unintended intravascular injection of what would have been an appropriate dose of LA (had it been injected in…
