Nerve Block Washout

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2018-01-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Injecting local anesthetic to anesthetize a nerve or group of nerves (a 'nerve block') is an effective way to eliminate pain during and after surgery. There are instances when it would be beneficial to the patient for the nerve block to be resolved quickly rather than waiting for it to naturally wear off. For example, a sciatic nerve block that freezes the lower leg and foot typically takes over 18 hours to resolve on its own, and both the surgeon and patient prefer to have motor function before discharge. The investigators wish to perform a randomized, controlled trial to determine if infusion of a solution such as saline to 'wash out' the nerve block after surgery can allow the patient to be pain-free while still being able to move their leg and foot.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Alberta

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Provide informed written consent

• Adult (≥ 18 years old) patients

• Scheduled for lower extremity surgery wholly or partially under popliteal sciatic nerve block

Exclusion Criteria:

• Failure to provide informed consent

• Infection at the needle insertion site

• Known coagulopathy

• Known allergy to local anesthetics

• Presence of sensory or motor impairment in the distribution of the sciatic nerve prior to nerve blockade

• Inability to perform valid sensory or motor examination of the function of the sciatic nerve prior to nerve blockade due to impaired access to the limb, language barrier, or inability of the subject to co-operate with such examination