Bupivacaine Digital Blocks: How Long is the Pain Relief and Temperature Elevation?

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2010-07-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

No one knows how long bupivacaine finger blocks last. Many use bupivacaine with and without epinephrine, but no one knows how the epinephrine affects the duration of the block. We also don't know how long the pain part of the block lasts, which is what counts.

The goal of the study is to determine the duration of action of bupivacaine digital nerve blocks (with and without epinephrine) on finger temperature and the sensory modalities of pain, touch, and pressure. 2 ml of bupivacaine 0.5% with and without epinephrine will be injected at the base of each ring finger on the palm surface. At the end of 1 hr, 6 hrs, 12 hrs, 14 hrs and each additional hour, patients will use an insulin lancet to measure pain, the Semmes Weinstein monofilament test to measure light touch and pressure and a body surface thermometer to measure finger temperature. The time for the finger to return to normal sensation and temperature will be measured.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Lalonde, Donald H., M.D.
• Treatments: Bupivacaine; Epinephrine; Epinephryl borate; Racepinephrine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adult volunteer

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under the age of majority

• Unable to give consent

• Pregnancy

• Diabetes

• Allergy to local anesthetic

• Prior finger surgery

• Preexisting digital vascular ischemia