J U LY 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 2 1
uncomfortable with the process," says
Nabil Elkassabany, MD, MSCE, director
of orthopedic anesthesiology at the
University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia. "I've seen patients decline
a block simply because they weren't
sure about what it would entail."
Dr. Elkassabany says a patient who
has a low pain tolerance or one who is
in chronic pain and takes opioids is a good candidate for a continuous nerve
block.
2. Offer round-the-clock support
Before launching a con-
tinuous nerve block pro-
gram, make sure you
have the infrastructure in
place for dealing with
patients who may have a
problem at home with a
pain pump. While many
pain pump companies
now offer 24/7 hotlines
that patients can call after
hours when they have
questions, Dr. Fingerman
suggests having a mem-
ber of your anesthesia
team or clinical staff con-
• HELPFUL HINT Nabil Elkassabany, MD, MSCE (left), suggests
using ultrasound to confirm that catheters are placed correctly,
which will limit calls from concerned patients.
Nabil
Elkassabany,
MD,
MSCE
