The Effect of Brachial Plexus Nerve Block on Distal Peripheral Nerve Conduction

The Effect of Brachial Plexus Nerve Block on Distal Peripheral Nerve Conduction

The purpose of this study is to determine the conducting ability of distal extremity nerves after a supraclavicular brachial plexus nerve block (with local anesthetic) has been placed at a more proximal location in the upper extremity.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male and female military health care beneficiaries 18 years and older, capable of providing informed consent indicating awareness of the investigational nature of the study, in keeping with institutional policy
• Written informed consent must be obtained from each patient prior to entering the study
• Patients must be willing to have a regional anesthetic nerve block placed prior to their scheduled procedure
• Patients must be willing to have neurodiagnostic tests performed prior to placement and after placement of the regional anesthesia nerve block

Exclusion Criteria:

• Refusal to have a brachial plexus nerve block placed
• Refusal to have serial nerve conduction studies performed
• Contraindication for a regional anesthesia nerve block (allergy to local anesthetic, infection at site of injection, elevated coagulation time)
• Presence of conditions affecting the hand or arm (e.g., injury, infection) that might preclude the performance of nerve conduction studies
• Presence of known major abnormalities of nerve conduction, e.g., absent median sensory potential in a patient scheduled for carpal tunnel release
• Presence of conditions affecting the contralateral hand or arm (e.g., injury, infection) that might preclude the performance of sensory and motor studies to test block or absence of a contralateral upper extremity