Prospective Comparison of Adductor Canal Block Performed With a Multiport Versus Single Bevel Needle

Brief summary

Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.

Early ambulation after knee replacement surgery is made possible in large part by providing safe and effective pain control. Peripheral nerve blocks are increasingly used for postoperative analgesia since they can provide excellent pain relief and minimize the need for opioid analgesics. Ultrasound guided adductor canal block (ACB) was first reported in 2009 by anesthesiologists at the University of Utah. This block is unique in that it spares motor function in the lower extremity. Since 2009, a number of publications have described the successful use of ACB for pain management after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, and other procedures of the knee. As a component of multi-modal analgesia, ACB can provide effective postoperative pain control and facilitate early hospital discharge. Although it is widely utilized, the ACB block can be technically difficult to perform since it requires injection in immediate proximity to the femoral artery and vein. In patients with a large thigh circumference, ultrasound can be challenging since the femoral vessels are deeper and more difficult to visualize. This presents the possibility of vessel trauma and/or intravascular injection of local anesthetic. The investigators have implemented a new technique for performing the ACB. This block is performed using a 20G fenestrated needle. The needle is FDA approved for peripheral nerve block. It has an occluded tip with 8 side ports on alternating sides of the distal 2cm. Injection through the fenestrated needle produces effective distribution of local anesthetic to nerves of the adductor canal without immediate proximity to the femoral artery and vein. The ultrasound landmarks used to perform ACB with the fenestrated needle are readily visible even in patients with very large thigh circumference. In summary, early experience with the US guided ACB block performed with a fenestrated block needle suggests that it is technically easier and potentially safer to perform than blocks performed with a conventional needle. This study should be performed prospectively in order to ensure accurate data comparing the two needles. A retrospective review of blocks performed using a conventional needle would not provide accurate data with respect to the number of attempts, time required to perform the blocks or the resulting sensory changes after performing the nerve block.

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Last update posted Oct 25, 2017 · Synced Sep 5, 2026

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