Does Saline Injection Around Phrenic Nerve Reduce Incidence of Diaphragmatic Paresis Following Interscalene Block?

Summary

Hemi-diaphragmatic palsy is a common undesirable effect of interscalene block, with an incidence of up to 100%. Mechanism of palsy is thought to be related to spread of local anaesthetic anterior to the anterior scalene muscle. We hypothesize that by injecting saline in this anatomical location prior to performing an interscalene block the incidence of phrenic palsy will be reduced.

Timeline

Start

2016-10

Primary completion

2019-09

Completion

2019-11

Publications

• Background Urmey WF, Talts KH, Sharrock NE. One hundred percent incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paresis associated with interscalene brachial plexus anesthesia as diagnosed by ultrasonography. Anesth Analg. 1991 Apr;72(4):498-503. doi: 10.1213/00000539-199104000-00014.
• Background Urmey WF, Grossi P, Sharrock NE, Stanton J, Gloeggler PJ. Digital pressure during interscalene block is clinically ineffective in preventing anesthetic spread to the cervical plexus. Anesth Analg. 1996 Aug;83(2):366-70. doi: 10.1097/00000539-199608000-00028.
• Background Urmey WF, McDonald M. Hemidiaphragmatic paresis during interscalene brachial plexus block: effects on pulmonary function and chest wall mechanics. Anesth Analg. 1992 Mar;74(3):352-7. doi: 10.1213/00000539-199203000-00006.
• Background Cangiani LH, Rezende LA, Giancoli Neto A. Phrenic nerve block after interscalene brachial plexus block. Case report. Rev Bras Anestesiol. 2008 Mar-Apr;58(2):152-9. doi: 10.1590/s0034-70942008000200007. English, Portuguese.
• Background Rau RH, Chan YL, Chuang HI, Cheng CR, Wong KL, Wu KH, Wei TT. Dyspnea resulting from phrenic nerve paralysis after interscalene brachial plexus block in an obese male--a case report. Acta Anaesthesiol Sin. 1997 Jun;35(2):113-8.
• Background Wennike N, Thompson A. Interscalene block as a precipitant of respiratory dysfunction. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2012 Apr;73(4):227. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2012.73.4.227. No abstract available.
• Background Sinha SK, Abrams JH, Barnett JT, Muller JG, Lahiri B, Bernstein BA, Weller RS. Decreasing the local anesthetic volume from 20 to 10 mL for ultrasound-guided interscalene block at the cricoid level does not reduce the incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paresis. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2011 Jan-Feb;36(1):17-20. doi: 10.1097/aap.0b013e3182030648.
• Background Lee JH, Cho SH, Kim SH, Chae WS, Jin HC, Lee JS, Kim YI. Ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided interscalene block: 5 mL provides similar analgesia but less phrenic nerve paralysis than 10 mL. Can J Anaesth. 2011 Nov;58(11):1001-6. doi: 10.1007/s12630-011-9568-5. Epub 2011 Aug 20.
• Background Palhais N, Brull R, Kern C, Jacot-Guillarmod A, Charmoy A, Farron A, Albrecht E. Extrafascial injection for interscalene brachial plexus block reduces respiratory complications compared with a conventional intrafascial injection: a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. Br J Anaesth. 2016 Apr;116(4):531-7. doi: 10.1093/bja/aew028.
• Background Stundner O, Meissnitzer M, Brummett CM, Moser S, Forstner R, Kokofer A, Danninger T, Gerner P, Kirchmair L, Fritsch G. Comparison of tissue distribution, phrenic nerve involvement, and epidural spread in standard- vs low-volume ultrasound-guided interscalene plexus block using contrast magnetic resonance imaging: a randomized, controlled trial. Br J Anaesth. 2016 Mar;116(3):405-12. doi: 10.1093/bja/aev550.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.