1. Ultrasound
While the capabilities of ultrasound-guided technology have grown by
leaps and bounds in recent years, the physical size of the equipment has
been shrinking. The market is now filled with smaller ultrasound
machines ranging from handheld units to devices with tablet-sized
viewing screens. Smaller equipment makes for easy portability into pro-
cedure rooms and ORs. What's more, manufacturers are equipping
these smaller units with the ability to add features through smartphone
or tablet applications that bolster functionality and keep them from
becoming quickly outdated. Advancements in the quality of the imaging
also make it easier for anesthesia providers to zero in on nerve bundles,
allowing them to place more accurate blocks and visualize critical
structures around the nerve to minimize complications such as inadver-
tent intravascular injections.
Ultrasound technology that lets anesthesia providers administer tar-
geted nerve blocks has many additional and unequaled diagnostic
capabilities for facilities. It's a big reason I'm such a firm believer in
instant access to ultrasound in the pre-, intra- and post-op settings.
For instance, using ultrasound in the OR can help diagnose a patient's
hypotension or sudden rapid heartbeat, which will in turn help the
provider apply the correct treatment option and reduce any potential
complications. From being able to assess gastric contents (is that
patient really NPO?) and pre-op cardiac function to determining
intractable post-op pain due to intra-abdominal fluid extravasation
after a hip arthroscopy, these machines can do a lot more than simply
guide nerve block placement.
2. Better blocks
Talk of ultrasound-guided nerve blocks tends to focus on specialties
like ortho or podiatry — cases that mainly involve the extremities.
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