Ultrasound-guided Versus Blind Technique in Medial Brachial Cutaneous Nerve and Intercostobrachial Nerve Blocks

The Effectiveness of Ultrasound-guided Technique Compared to Blind Technique in Medial Brachial Cutaneous Nerve Block and Intercostobrachial Nerve Block, in the Axilla

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02940847

Acronym

ECHO_NCMB

Enrollment

Registered

2016-10-21

Start date

2016-11-13

Completion date

2017-03-31

Last updated

2017-07-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Upper Limb Surgery

Keywords

ultrasound-guided technique, blind technique, medial brachial cutaneous nerve block, intercostobrachial nerve block

Brief summary

The axillary brachial plexus block is a technique of locoregional anesthesia indicated in the distal upper limb surgery : hand, forearm, the lower third of the arm including the elbow. The anesthesia of the posterior and the medial side of the arm requires a selective block of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve and the intercostobrachial nerve, for example to improve the tolerance of the inflatable tourniquet used by the surgeons. There are two techniques to achieve this block : the blind technique (without ultrasound) and the ultrasound-guided technique. At the moment, there are no studies which compare these two techniques. So, the purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided technique compared to blind technique in medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block, in the axilla.

Detailed description

For purposes of this single-blind monocentric study, 84 patients are randomized into two groups (42 patients for each), upon enrolment into the study. In the first group, the blind technique is used to perform the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block : it consists in performing a subcutaneous injection of the local anesthetic at the root of the arm, in the anterior-posterior direction. In the second group, the ultrasound-guided technique is used to perform the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block : ultrasounds are used to visualize the anatomical variations, the good position of the needle and the good local anesthetic diffusion. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided technique compared to blind technique in medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercosto-brachial nerve block, in the axilla

Interventions

PROCEDUREmedial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block with blind technique

It consists in performing a subcutaneous injection of the local anesthetic at the root of the arm, in the anterior-posterior direction.

PROCEDUREmedial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block with ultrasound-guided technique

Ultrasounds are used to visualize the anatomical variations, the good position of the needle and the good local anesthetic diffusion.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Adult patients ≥ 18 years * Surgery of the distal upper limb : hand, forearm, lower third of the arm ,including the elbow * Urgent or planned surgery * Locoregional anesthesia : axillary brachial plexus block, completed by a medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and an intercostobrachial nerve block * Local anesthetic used : mepivacaine 10mg/ml * In the absence of patient objections

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnancy * Adults under guardianship * Locoregional anesthesia contraindications * Local anesthetic used : ropivacaine 0,75%

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Number of participants with complete anesthesia in the lower half of the medial cutaneous area of the arm, at time 20 minutes	at time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block	At time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block, a light touch sensitivity test is performed
Number of participants with complete anesthesia in the upper half of the medial cutaneous area of the arm, at time 20 minutes	at time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block	At time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block, a light touch sensitivity test is performed
Number of participants with complete anesthesia in the lower half of the posterior cutaneous area of the arm, at time 20 minutes	at time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block	At time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block, a light touch sensitivity test is performed
Number of participants with complete anesthesia in the upper half of the posterior cutaneous area of the arm, at time 20 minutes	at time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block	At time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block, a light touch sensitivity test is performed
Number of participants with complete anesthesia of the arm at time 20 minutes	at time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block	At time 20 minutes after the achievement of medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and intercostobrachial nerve block, a light touch sensitivity test is performed

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Number of participants with complete anesthesia, with reduced sensitivity and with absence of anesthesia at times 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes (except primary outcome) in the areas of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve and the intercostobrachial nerve	at times 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes after the achievement of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block
Number of participants (of the ultrasound-guided group) with bad ultrasound view of theses nerves before and after the injection of the local anesthetic.	5 minutes after the achievement of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block
Number of patients with comfortable feeling, with unpleasant sensations and with pains during surgery, in the areas of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve and the intercostobrachial nerve (questionnaire completed by the anesthesist)	3 hours after the achievement of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block
The total volume (mL) of local anesthetic used for the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block	5 minutes after the achievement of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block
Number of participants (of the ultrasound-guided group) with good ultrasound view of theses nerves before and after the injection of the local anesthetic	5 minutes after the achievement of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block
Number of participants (of the ultrasound-guided group) with : bad ultrasound view of theses nerves before the injection and good ultrasound view of theses nerves after the injection of the local anesthetic	5 minutes after the achievement of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve block and the intercostobrachial nerve block

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 24, 2026