Continuous Femoral Nerve Blocks in Healthy Volunteers
Conditions
Keywords
Femoral, Nerve Block, Anterior, Posterior, Continuous Infusion, Perineural Catheter, Volunteer, Lower Extremity Nerve Blocks
Brief summary
To determine if the way local anesthetic, or numbing medication, is delivered through a tiny tube next to the nerves that go to the thigh affects the strength and sensation in the thigh.
Detailed description
Specific Aim: Research study to test the hypothesis that differing the location of the perineural catheter tip during a continuous femoral nerve block (anterior vs. posterior) impacts quadriceps muscle strength. These results will help define the optimal perineural catheter tip location relative to the femoral nerve used for continuous peripheral nerve blocks and help guide both clinical care and future research in this clinically-relevant area.
Interventions
PROCEDURECatheter Anterior to the Femoral Nerve
Extremity randomized to Anterior Placement will be given a peripheral nerve block with the catheter placed just anterior to the femoral nerve. 4cc of Ropivicaine will be administered continuously every hour by a pain pain pump and the outcome measures will be tested.
PROCEDURECatheter Posterior to the Femoral Nerve
Extremity randomized to Posterior Placement will be given a peripheral nerve block with the catheter placed just posterior to the femoral nerve. 4cc of Ropivicaine will be administered continuously every hour by a pain pain pump and the outcome measures will be tested.
Sponsors
University of California, San Diego
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years of age or over * Willing to have bilateral femoral perineural catheters placed with a subsequent ropivacaine infusion and motor/sensory testing for 6 hours, requiring an overnight stay in the UCSD GCRC/CTRI to allow dissipation of local anesthetic infusion effects by the following morning
Exclusion criteria
* current daily analgesic use * opioid use within the previous 4 weeks * any neuro-muscular deficit of either femoral nerves and/or quadriceps muscles * body mass index \> 30 kg/m2 * pregnancy * incarceration
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Quadriceps femoris muscle strength | percentage of baseline muscle strength six hours after infusion initiation | The primary end point will be the quadriceps femoris maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) expressed as a percentage of the pre-ropivacaine MVIC: post / pre x 100; with the two sides of each subject compared with each other |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed