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Skin temperature during regional anesthesia of the lower extremity.
- Source :
-
Anesthesia and analgesia [Anesth Analg] 2006 Apr; Vol. 102 (4), pp. 1247-51. - Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- Increase in skin temperature (Ts) occurs early during neuraxial blocks. However, the reliability of Ts to predict successful peripheral block is unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether an increase in Ts more than 1 degrees C precedes or follows an impairment of sensation after combined femoral and sciatic nerve block as well as after epidural anesthesia. In this prospective, nonrandomized study we determined Ts changes in 33 patients undergoing knee or foot surgery under femoral and sciatic nerve block and 10 patients undergoing epidural anesthesia. Perception and motor function were assessed every 5 min. An increase in Ts (> or =1 degrees C) at the foot occurred later after sciatic nerve block than after epidural anesthesia (10.3 +/- 2.8 versus 5.0 min; P < 0.01). Alterations of Ts at skin innervated by the femoral nerve were <1 degrees C. Ts increase preceded sensory block after sciatic nerve block in 6.6% of patients but indicated a successful block (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy = 100%). We conclude that an increase of Ts is a reliable, but late, sign of successful sciatic nerve block. Therefore it is of limited clinical value. Ts changes after femoral nerve block are negligible and late.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Aged
Anesthesia, Conduction methods
Anesthesia, Epidural methods
Anesthesia, Epidural statistics & numerical data
Confidence Intervals
Female
Humans
Lower Extremity physiology
Male
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Anesthesia, Conduction statistics & numerical data
Foot physiology
Leg physiology
Skin Temperature physiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1526-7598
- Volume :
- 102
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Anesthesia and analgesia
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 16551932
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1213/01.ane.0000198627.16144.77