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Hochman M, Capogna G. To the editor: comments on the paper: pressure monitoring devices may undetect epidural space: a report on the use of Compuflo® system for epidural injection. J Clin Monit Comput 2022; 36:1913-1915. [PMID: 35501621 PMCID: PMC9637600 DOI: 10.1007/s10877-022-00868-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark Hochman
- Clinical Affairs, Research and Development, Milestone Scientific, Livingston, USA
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De Tommasi F, Romano C, Lo Presti D, Massaroni C, Carassiti M, Schena E. FBG-Based Soft System for Assisted Epidural Anesthesia: Design Optimization and Clinical Assessment. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12080645. [PMID: 36005041 PMCID: PMC9405758 DOI: 10.3390/bios12080645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Fiber Bragg grating sensors (FBGs) are considered a valid sensing solution for a variety of medical applications. The last decade witnessed the exploitation of these sensors in applications ranging from minimally invasive surgery to biomechanics and monitoring physiological parameters. Recently, preliminary studies investigated the potential impact of FBGs in the management of epidural procedures by detecting when the needle reaches the epidural space with the loss of resistance (LOR) technique. In this article, we propose a soft and flexible FBG-based system capable of detecting the LOR, we optimized the solution by considering different designs and materials, and we assessed the feasibility of the optimized soft sensor (SS) in clinical settings. The proposed SS addresses some of the open challenges in the use of a sensing solution during epidural punctures: it has high sensitivity, it is non-invasive, the sensing element does not need to be inserted within the needle, and the clinician can follow the standard clinical practice. Our analysis highlights how the material and the design impact the system response, and thus its performance in this scenario. We also demonstrated the system’s feasibility of detecting the LOR during epidural procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca De Tommasi
- Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Romano
- Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Lo Presti
- Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Massaroni
- Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Carassiti
- Unit of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Emiliano Schena
- Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-062-2541-9650
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Carassiti M, Pascarella G, Strumia A, Cataldo R, Antinolfi V, Costa F, Agrò FE. Pressure monitoring devices may undetect epidural space: a report on the use of Compuflo® system for epidural injection. J Clin Monit Comput 2022; 36:283-286. [PMID: 34148201 DOI: 10.1007/s10877-021-00732-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Lumbar epidural infiltration (EI) is a feasible procedure performed in pain therapy. Even though epidural analgesia is widely applied, it remains a blind technique, based on the operator's hand sensations, and it is associated with significant failure rate and several potential complications. Compuflo® (Compuflo, Milestone Scientific, Livingston, NJ) is a computerized injection pump which precisely detects the real time pressure at the tip of a Tuohy needle when placed in human tissues, thanks to a continuous fluid path. In our institution, we usually perform EI for chronic back pain guided by the Compuflo device, especially for expected difficult procedures. However, we report 6 false negative cases on a total number of 60 procedures in which the Compuflo system didn't meet the criteria of epidural space entry, even though the epidural space was actually reached. A mild pressure decrease (less than 50%) which lasted for more than 5 s was reported on the monitor, and the acoustic signal changed in a little bit lower sound, without a clear indication on stopping or not the needle advancement. This unspecific drop in monitored pressure gives false negatives using the Compuflo® system and may lead to excessive advancing of the needle. In conclusion, we consider the epidural pressure monitoring device Compuflo as a tool which may be able to ease the correct positioning of an epidural needle. The percentage of 10% false negative identifications of the epidural space in our case series however suggests more investigations on adequate or specific settings for this epidural system. In the meantime, in chronic pain patients, this anesthetic technique should only be used by experienced hands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Carassiti
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pascarella
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Strumia
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy.
| | - Rita Cataldo
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Antinolfi
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Costa
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Felice Eugenio Agrò
- Unit of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via Álvaro del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy
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Arici T. An Operator's Experience of the Loss-of-Resistance Technique in Epidural Injections: An Observational Study. Eurasian J Med 2021; 53:48-52. [PMID: 33716530 DOI: 10.5152/eurasianjmed.2021.20014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective A successful interlaminar epidural injection relies on correct epidural space needle placement. Most interlaminar epidural steroid injection (ESI) procedures are performed with a blind technique known as loss-of-resistance (LOR) without an imaging guide. This study aims to evaluate the success rate of the LOR technique in interlaminar epidural steroid injection under fluoroscopic control. Materials and Methods Patients who underwent interlaminar ESI owing to a history of at least 3 months of chronic low back and leg pain not responding to medications and physical therapies were included in an observational trial. Participants' age was between 27 and 88 years, and they had an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I-III. The patients were placed in a prone position, and a Tuohy needle was introduced at the level of the L5-S1 interlaminar foramen using fluoroscopic image with an anteroposterior view. A lateral view was obtained when the LOR was felt. The procedures that achieved epidural spread by contrast agent in the first attempt were deemed successful. Those that did not and those that had false positive LOR were regarded as unsuccessful. Results Interlaminar ESİ was administered to 150 patients. The procedure's success and failure rates were 76% (114 patients) and 24% (36 patients), respectively. A total of 58.3% (21 patients) of patients who underwent an unsuccessful procedure had a false LOR, whereas 41.6% (15 patients) of the same group exhibited other causes. Sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) showed no statistical significance in terms of procedural success. There were statistically significant differences in the distance between the skin and the epidural space according to the body mass index groups. Conclusion The LOR technique identified the epidural space in most epidural procedures. However, in some cases, LOR was shown to be inadequate. Therefore, we suggest that the LOR technique must be supported by imaging such as fluoroscopy during epidural injections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tulin Arici
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Dr Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey
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Carassiti M, Cataldo R, Formica D, Massaroni C, De Filippis A, Palermo P, Di Tocco J, Setola R, Valenti C, Schena E. A new pressure guided management tool for epidural space detection: feasibility assessment in a clinical scenario. Minerva Anestesiol 2020; 86. [DOI: 10.23736/s0375-9393.20.14031-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023]
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