Pain Management

Acute Pain Management

Is Ultrasound Guidance Advantageous for Interventional Pain Management? A Review of Acute Pain Outcomes

Choi S, Brull R (Univ of Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Anesth Analg 113:596-604, 2011^§

Abstract

Background

Ultrasound (US) guidance for peripheral nerve blockade has gained popularity worldwide. The reported benefits of real-time sonographic visualization compared with traditional nerve localization techniques generally apply to procedural and technical block-related outcomes whereas acute pain–related outcomes are featured less prominently. In this review, we evaluated the effect of US guidance compared with traditional nerve localization techniques for interventional management of acute pain and acute pain–related outcomes.

Methods

We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (from January 1990 to January 2011) to identify randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of US guidance on acute pain and related outcomes compared with traditional nerve localization techniques. Studies were excluded if they did not report at least one of the following acute pain outcomes: pain severity, opioid consumption, sensory block duration, and time to first analgesic request. Related outcomes were classified as follows: patient related (opioid-related adverse effects, patient satisfaction, postoperative cognitive deficit); anesthesia related (unwanted motor block, perineural catheter failure, morbidity, development of chronic pain); surgery related (hospital readmission, ability to ambulate); and hospital related (length of stay, cost). Promising novel applications of US guidance for acute pain management were also sought for discussion purposes.

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