Abstract
Purpose
We aimed to compare two digital nerve block techniques in patients due to traumatic digital lacerations.
Methods
This was a randomized-controlled study designed prospectively in the emergency department of a university-based training and research hospital. Randomization was achieved by sealed envelopes. Half of the patients were randomised to traditional (two-injection) digital nerve block technique while single-injection digital nerve block technique was applied to the other half. Score of pain due to anesthetic infiltration and suturing, onset time of total anesthesia, need for an additional rescue injection were the parameters evaluated with both groups. Epinephrin added lidocaine hydrochloride preparation was used for the anesthetic application. Visual analog scale was used for the evaluation of pain scores. Outcomes were compared by using Mann–Whitney U test and Student t-test.
Results
Fifty emergency department patients ≥18 years requiring digital nerve block were enrolled in the study. Mean age of the patients was 33 (min–max: 19–86) and 39 (78 %) were male. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of our main parameters; anesthesia pain score, suturing pain score, onset time of total anesthesia and rescue injection need.
Conclusion
Single injection volar digital nerve block technique is a suitable alternative for digital anesthesias in emergency departments.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to express the deepest appreciation to Ankara Atatürk Training and Research Hospital Emergency Department physicians. Without their supervision and constant help this study would not have been possible.
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Osman Mahir Okur, Alp Şener, Havva Şahin Kavaklı, Gülhan Kurtoğlu Çelik, Nurettin Özgür Doğan, Ferhat İçme and Gül Pamukçu Günaydın declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Okur, O.M., Şener, A., Kavakli, H.Ş. et al. Two injection digital block versus single subcutaneous palmar injection block for finger lacerations. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 43, 863–868 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0727-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0727-9