Comparison of the Sensitive Cutaneous Block Distribution Following Femoral Nerve Block Using Two Femoral Block Techniques

Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Femoral Nerve Block; Regional Anesthesia

Treatments: Procedure: Femoral nerve block using Ultrasound and neurostimulator; Procedure: Femoral nerve block using Ultrasound; Drug: Ropivacaine 0.5%

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02721290

20160112

Details and patient eligibility

About

In this study, we will be comparing two approaches to the femoral block. The first or classical approach and one that is the most popular in our institution is used by combining ultrasound guidance and neurostimulator to do the block. The second is performed with the ultrasound alone aiming at the inferolateral aspect of the femoral artery with the needle and injecting. The primary endpoint of the study is the sensitive cutaneous block distribution using both techniques.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients scheduled for an elective surgery for which the anesthesiologist planned to do a single shot or continuous femoral nerve block.

Exclusion criteria

• Any contraindication to the femoral nerve block (coagulopathy, infection, pre-existing neuropathy, local anesthetic allergy and refusal of local anesthesia).
• Refusal to participate in the study
• Inability to understand or communicate the effect of local anesthesia secondary to the femoral nerve bloc.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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80 participants in 2 patient groups

Femoral nerve block using Ultrasound and neurostimulator

Active Comparator group

Description:

Femoral block using the standard technique of ultrasound for femoral nerve identification and neurostimulator set at between 0.3-0.5 mA with quads muscle response for needle placement confirmation before injecting 20cc of Ropivacaine 0.5%.

Treatment:

Drug: Ropivacaine 0.5%

Procedure: Femoral nerve block using Ultrasound and neurostimulator

Femoral nerve block using femoral artery target

Experimental group

Description:

Femoral block using the alternate technique of aiming for the inferolateral aspect of the femoral artery and injecting 20cc of Ropivacaine 0.5%.

Treatment:

Drug: Ropivacaine 0.5%

Procedure: Femoral nerve block using Ultrasound