W A Colizza1, E Said. 1. Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous regional anesthesia in the treatment of unilateral closed fractures and dislocations of forearm or wrist in children. DESIGN: A prospective study over 6 years. SETTING: The study was undertaken in the well-equipped emergency department of a community general hospital for ambulatory patients. PATIENTS: One hundred and thirty-nine children between the ages of 4 and 18 years with unilateral closed fractures and dislocations of forearm or wrist. INTERVENTION: All children received premedication with a combination of meperidine and promethazine (0.5 mg/kg intramuscularly) and regional upper limb anesthesia with 0.5% lidocaine solution (3 mg/kg intravenously) after inflation of an arm tourniquet. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The relief of pain, allowing closed reduction with intravenous regional anesthesia, and the incidence of complications. RESULTS: All patients had complete relief of pain allowing successful closed reduction in 133 patients (96%); tourniquet pain occurred in 10 patients (7%). There were no symptoms of lidocaine toxicity. There were no neurovascular or compartment syndrome complications. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous regional anesthesia for the treatment of fractures and dislocations of forearm and wrist in children was found to be simple, safe and effective.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous regional anesthesia in the treatment of unilateral closed fractures and dislocations of forearm or wrist in children. DESIGN: A prospective study over 6 years. SETTING: The study was undertaken in the well-equipped emergency department of a community general hospital for ambulatory patients. PATIENTS: One hundred and thirty-nine children between the ages of 4 and 18 years with unilateral closed fractures and dislocations of forearm or wrist. INTERVENTION: All children received premedication with a combination of meperidine and promethazine (0.5 mg/kg intramuscularly) and regional upper limb anesthesia with 0.5% lidocaine solution (3 mg/kg intravenously) after inflation of an arm tourniquet. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The relief of pain, allowing closed reduction with intravenous regional anesthesia, and the incidence of complications. RESULTS: All patients had complete relief of pain allowing successful closed reduction in 133 patients (96%); tourniquet pain occurred in 10 patients (7%). There were no symptoms of lidocainetoxicity. There were no neurovascular or compartment syndrome complications. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous regional anesthesia for the treatment of fractures and dislocations of forearm and wrist in children was found to be simple, safe and effective.