Effects of Catheter Tip Location Relative to the Femoral Nerve on Sensory and Motor Function

University of California San Diego

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 4

Conditions: Continuous Femoral Nerve Blocks in Healthy Volunteers

Treatments: Procedure: Catheter Posterior to the Femoral Nerve; Procedure: Catheter Anterior to the Femoral Nerve

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01263249

Volunteer Anterior Posterior

Details and patient eligibility

About

To determine if the way local anesthetic, or numbing medication, is delivered through a tiny tube next to the nerves that go to the thigh affects the strength and sensation in the thigh.

Full description

Specific Aim: Research study to test the hypothesis that differing the location of the perineural catheter tip during a continuous femoral nerve block (anterior vs. posterior) impacts quadriceps muscle strength. These results will help define the optimal perineural catheter tip location relative to the femoral nerve used for continuous peripheral nerve blocks and help guide both clinical care and future research in this clinically-relevant area.

Enrollment: 19 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years of age or over
• Willing to have bilateral femoral perineural catheters placed with a subsequent ropivacaine infusion and motor/sensory testing for 6 hours, requiring an overnight stay in the UCSD GCRC/CTRI to allow dissipation of local anesthetic infusion effects by the following morning

Exclusion criteria

• current daily analgesic use
• opioid use within the previous 4 weeks
• any neuro-muscular deficit of either femoral nerves and/or quadriceps muscles
• body mass index > 30 kg/m2
• pregnancy
• incarceration

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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19 participants in 2 patient groups

Catheter Anterior to Femoral Nerve

Active Comparator group

Description:

Each subject will have one lower extremity (Right or Left) randomized to receive a perinural catheter, placed anterior to the femoral nerve, with a continuous infusion of local anesthetic and then the outcomes will be measured.

Treatment:

Procedure: Catheter Anterior to the Femoral Nerve

Catheter Posterior to Femoral Nerve

Active Comparator group

Description:

Each subject will have the opposite lower extremity (Right or Left) randomized to receive a perinural catheter, placed posterior to the femoral nerve, with a continuous infusion of local anesthetic and then the outcomes will be measured.

Treatment:

Procedure: Catheter Posterior to the Femoral Nerve