Regional Analgesia at the Pediatric Emergency Department

Hillel Yaffe Medical Center

Status

Not yet enrolling

Conditions

Regional Anaesthesia

Treatments

Procedure: Regional anaesthesia

Study type

Observational

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06927193

0035-25-HYMC

Details and patient eligibility

About

Approximately two years ago, ultrasound-guided regional blocks technique was introduced into routine use in the pediatric emergency department at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. Since then, nearly 300 different blocks have been performed.

Study Objective: To collect a registry database of complication rates associated with regional analgesia during routine pediatric emergency department care between 2023 and 2025.

Full description

Adequate pain management is a key component of pediatric emergency care. The use of regional analgesia, particularly ultrasound-guided regional blocks, has gained momentum in recent years as part of pain management, reducing the need for opioids and serving as a safe and effective alternative to procedural sedation.

For anesthesiologists, this is now a routine tool mainly performed in the operating room. In adult emergency medicine, this tool has also been integrated and is sometimes performed by emergency physicians.

In children, performing ultrasound-guided regional blocks presents additional challenges compared to adults. The primary challenge in an unsedated child is maintaining cooperation throughout the procedure. Other difficulties include limited maneuverability due to their smaller size, reduced allowable volume of local anesthetics (based on weight), and more. For these reasons, most ultrasound-guided regional blocks in children are performed in the operationg room after sedation or general anesthesia. There are only a few case reports describing the use of simple ultrasound-guided regional blocks performed by emergency physicians in pediatric ED settings.

Approximately two years ago, this technique was introduced into routine use in the pediatric emergency department at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. Since then, nearly 300 different blocks have been performed.

Study Objective: To collect a registry database of complication rates associated with regional analgesia during routine pediatric emergency department care between 2023 and 2025.

Enrollment

400 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

Under 18 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Children who visited the pediatric emergency department between 2023-2025 and underwent a nerve block during their visit.

Exclusion criteria

Children who visited the emergency department but had the nerve block performed outside the emargency department setting (e.g., inpatient wards or operationg room), or if the block was performed by a physician not affiliated with the pediatric emergency department.