Post operative pain management in shoulder surgery: Suprascapular and axillary nerve block by arthroscope assisted catheter placement

Advances in Anesthesia for Shoulder Surgery: A Comprehensive Review of Dexmedetomidine-Enhanced Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block

Surgical procedures on the shoulder pose distinctive challenges in managing pain during the perioperative period, underscoring the importance of exploring innovative anesthesia techniques. This comprehensive review article delves into integrating dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, within interscalene brachial plexus blocks for shoulder surgery. The review initiates by underscoring the pivotal role of effective anesthesia in shoulder surgery and elucidates the rationale behind investigating dexmedetomidine as an adjunct. It meticulously examines the anatomy and physiology of the brachial plexus, emphasizing its critical significance in shoulder surgery. Furthermore, the article expounds on dexmedetomidine's mechanisms of action and pharmacokinetics, encompassing its safety profile and potential side effects. The conventional interscalene brachial plexus block techniques, along with their limitations and challenges, are discussed, laying the foundation for the integration of dexmedetomidine. The review subsequently delves into exploring the role of dexmedetomidine in regional anesthesia, covering previous studies, mechanisms of action, and the potential advantages of incorporating it into nerve blocks. The review's core concentrates on the practical application of dexmedetomidine-enhanced interscalene brachial plexus blocks. This includes discussions on administration techniques, dosage guidelines, and compelling evidence supporting its utilization. Clinical scenarios where this approach proves most advantageous are thoroughly explored, comparing its effectiveness with traditional techniques in terms of pain control and patient outcomes. A comprehensive examination of relevant clinical trials and case studies highlights the evidence supporting its efficacy. The review also underscores safety considerations associated with dexmedetomidine. It proposes strategies for mitigating risks to ensure patient safety. Insights into future directions and research are provided, encompassing ongoing studies, areas necessitating further investigation, and potential refinements in technique. Finally, the article summarizes key findings, emphasizing the practicality of dexmedetomidine-enhanced interscalene brachial plexus blocks in shoulder surgery and its far-reaching implications for clinical practice and patient care.

Peripheral Nerve Blocks Outperform General Anesthesia for Pain Control in Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PURPOSE

The purpose of this review is to compare the effectiveness of different peripheral nerve blocks and general anesthesia (GA) in controlling postoperative pain after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).

METHODS

A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-compliant systematic review was conducted for the period of January 1, 2005, to February 16, 2021, by searching the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Arthroscopyjournal.org. The primary outcomes of interest included 1-hour, 24-hour, and 48-hour pain scores on a numeric rating scale or visual analog scale (VAS). Inclusion criteria were English language studies reporting on adults (≥18 years) undergoing ARCR with peripheral nerve blockade. To synthesize subjective pain score data at each evaluation time point across studies, we performed random-effects network meta-regression analyses accounting for baseline pain score as a covariate.

RESULTS

A total of 14 randomized controlled trials with 851 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Data from six different nerve block interventions, single-shot interscalene brachial plexus nerve block (s-ISB; 37.8% [322/851]), single-shot suprascapular nerve block (s-SSNB; 9.9% [84/851]), continuous ISB (c-ISB; 17.5% [149/851]), continuous SSNB (c-SSNB; 6.9% [59/851]), s-ISB combined with SSNB (s-ISB+SSNB; 5.8% [49/851]), s-SSNB combined with axillary nerve block (s-SSNB+ANB; 4.8% [41/851]), as well as GA (17.3% [147/851]) were included. Our meta-analysis demonstrated that c-ISB block had a significant reduction in pain score relative to GA at 1-hour postoperation (mean difference [MD]: -1.8; 95% credible interval [CrI] = -3.4, -.08). There were no significant differences in VAS pain scores relative to GA at 24 and 48 hours postoperatively. However, s-ISB+SSNB had a significant reduction in 48-hour pain score compared to s-ISB (MD = -1.07; 95% CrI = -1.92, -.22).

CONCLUSIONS

It remains unclear which peripheral nerve block strategy is optimal for ARCR. However, peripheral nerve blocks are highly effective at attenuating postoperative ARCR pain and should be more widely considered as an alternative over general anesthesia alone.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II Systematic review and meta-analysis of Level I and II studies.

Comparison of analgesic efficacy of shoulder block versus interscalene block for postoperative analgesia in arthroscopic shoulder surgeries: A randomised trial

Background and Aims

Arthroscopic orthopaedic surgery may lead to significant postoperative pain. Interscalene block (ISB) is associated with undesirable effects like phrenic nerve palsy. Shoulder block (ShB) is a relatively recent diaphragm sparing alternative for analgesia in these cases.

Methods

This prospective randomised trial was conducted in 70 adult patients posted for arthroscopic Bankart repair surgery. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups: interscalene block [Group ISB (n = 35): 0.5% bupivacaine 10 ml] or shoulder block [Group ShB (n = 35): 0.5% bupivacaine (suprascapular block 10 ml and axillary block 10 ml)] using ultrasound and nerve stimulator. The primary aim of our study was to compare the ISB with ShB for visual analogue score (VAS) in recovery area (zero hour). Time for block performance, VAS, time to first rescue analgesia, total analgesic requirement, patient satisfaction and complications were recorded.

Results

VAS was significantly higher in ShB group at 2 and 4 h (P = 0.001 and 0.000) while it was significantly higher in ISB group at 12 h (P = 0.013). The time to first analgesic request was significantly prolonged in ISB group as compared to ShB group (8.22 h vs. 4.69 h; P = 0.002) but total analgesic requirement and patient satisfaction at 24 h were similar. Complications like dyspnoea, ptosis and motor weakness were seen only with ISB group.

Conclusion

Both ShB and ISB blocks have similar efficacy in terms of postoperative pain scores, cumulative analgesic requirements and patient satisfaction. However, considering the various undesirable effects associated with ISB, like phrenic nerve blockade, prolonged upper limb weakness and the occurrence of rebound pain, shoulder block may be preferred for arthroscopic shoulder surgeries.

Suprascapular Nerve Block Is an Effective Pain Control Method in Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Effective pain control in patients who have undergone arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery improves functional recovery and early mobilization. Interscalene blocks (ISBs), a widely used approach, are safe and provide fast pain relief; however, they are associated with complications. Another pain management strategy is the use of a suprascapular nerve block (SSNB).

Hypothesis

We hypothesized that indwelling SSNB catheters are a more effective pain control method than single-shot ISBs. We also hypothesized that indwelling SSNB catheters will reduce the level of rebound pain and the demand for opioid analgesics.

Study Design

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods

Included in this study were 93 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery between May 2012 and January 2019. These patients were assigned to either the indwelling SSNB catheter group, the single-shot ISB group, or the control (sham/placebo) group (31 patients per group). Level of pain was measured with a visual analog scale (VAS; 0 to 10 [worst pain]) on the day of the operation. The preoperative VAS score was recorded at 6 AM on the day of operation, and the postoperative scores were recorded at 1, 8, and 16 hours after surgery and then every 8 hours until postoperative day 3.

Results

The VAS pain scores were lower in the SSNB and ISB groups than in the control group up to postoperative hour (POH) 8, with the most significant difference at POH 8. At POH 1 and POH 8, the mean VAS scores for each group were 2.29 and 1.74 (SSNB), 2.59 and 2.50 (ISB), and 3.42 and 4.48 (control), respectively. VAS scores in the SSNB and ISB groups were consistently <3, compared with a mean VAS score of 3.1 ± 1.58 in the control group (P < .001). Compared with the ISB group, the SSNB group had significantly fewer side effects such as rebound pain duration as well as lower VAS scores (P < .001).

Conclusion

VAS scores were the lowest in the indwelling SSNB catheter group, with the most pronounced between-group difference in VAS scores at POH 8. Severity and recurring frequency of pain were lower in the indwelling SSNB catheter group than in the single-shot ISB group.

The Effect of Pre-emptive Dexketoprofen Administration on Postoperative Pain Management in Patients with Ultrasound Guided Interscalene Block in Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery

Background: Postoperative pain is an important problem for patients undergoing shoulder surgery. Our study investigated analgesic efficacy, duration of analgesia, postoperative analgesic use and patient satisfaction with the use of preemptive intravenous dexketoprofen for interscalene block in addition to general anesthesia in arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Methods: 60 patients, scheduled for arthroscopic shoulder surgery were randomized (30 patients each) into either: - control group (Group1) or dexketoprofen group (Group 2). Patients were followed for 48 hours to compare both groups for; post-operative pain scores, effectiveness of postoperative analgesia, duration of analgesia, and analgesia consumption. Duration of postoperative sensory block of the shoulder joint was defined as time to onset of pain at the incision site. Duration of postoperative motor block of the shoulder joint was defined as time to onset of first shoulder movement. Results: While no significant difference was determined for motor block time, sensory block time was significantly longer in the dexketoprofen group (p < 0.05).VAS scores were significantly lower at all times in the dexketoprofen group (p < 0.05).Total PCA fentanyl consumption was 274.16 ± 314.89 (μg) in the dexketoprofen group, and 490.00 ± 408.98 (μg) in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between the groups' demographic and hemodynamic data. Conclusion: Pre-emptive IV dexketoprofen may be a good option for arthroscopic shoulder surgery and provides effective analgesia.

Acute postoperative pain after arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery: A review of methods of pain assessment

INTRODUCTION

Pain can be severe during the first days after arthroscopic surgery, and acute pain is an important outcome in clinical trials of surgical technique or anaesthetic strategy. A standardized, validated method of assessing acute postoperative pain would improve the quality of clinical studies, and facilitate systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A step on the way towards this standard is to investigate the methods most commonly used in recent literature.

METHODS

PubMed and CINAHL databases were searched, including studies of arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery with a primary pain-related outcome during the first postoperative week, published in English from 2012 to 2017.

RESULTS

A total of 47 studies were included, all measuring pain intensity using a pain rating scale. Most frequently used was the visual analogue scale using the anchors "no pain" and "worst pain imaginable", with recordings at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. A total of 34 studies recorded analgesic consumption, usually as average cumulated consumption in mg. Time to first analgesic request or first pain were recorded in 11 studies, and 4 different starting points were used.

DISCUSSION

This review describes the currently most common methods of assessing acute postoperative pain in clinical trials of arthroscopic shoulder surgery involving rotator cuff repair, and the large variety of methods applied. Based on this study and international guidelines, several recommendations on how to measure and report postoperative pain outcomes in future trials are proposed.

Suprascapular and Interscalene Nerve Block for Shoulder Surgery

Background

Interscalene block provides optimal shoulder surgery analgesia, but concerns over its associated risks have prompted the search for alternatives. Suprascapular block was recently proposed as an interscalene block alternative, but evidence of its comparative analgesic effect is conflicting. This meta-analysis compares the analgesic effect and safety of suprascapular block versus interscalene block for shoulder surgery.

Methods

Databases were searched for randomized trials comparing interscalene block with suprascapular block for shoulder surgery. Postoperative 24-h cumulative oral morphine consumption and the difference in the area under curve for pooled rest pain scores were designated as primary outcomes. Analgesic and safety outcomes, particularly block-related and respiratory complications, were evaluated as secondary outcomes. Results were pooled using random-effects modeling.

Results

Data from 16 studies (1,152 patients) were analyzed. Interscalene block and suprascapular block were not different in 24-h morphine consumption. The difference in area under the curve of pain scores for the 24-h interval favored interscalene block by 1.1 cm/h, but this difference was not clinically important. Compared with suprascapular block, interscalene block reduced postoperative pain but not opioid consumption during recovery room stay by a weighted mean difference (95% CI) of 1.5 cm (0.6 to 2.5 cm; P &lt; 0.0001). Pain scores were not different at any other time. In contrast, suprascapular block reduced the odds of block-related and respiratory complications.

Conclusions

This review suggests that there are no clinically meaningful analgesic differences between suprascapular block and interscalene block except for interscalene block providing better pain control during recovery room stay; however, suprascapular block has fewer side effects. These findings suggest that suprascapular block may be considered an effective and safe interscalene block alternative for shoulder surgery.