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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain (PPOP)
14:56

An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain (PPOP)

Published on: January 27, 2010

Postoperative pain relief in children from the parascalene injection technique

J K McNeely1, G M Hoffman, J E Eckert

  • 1Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Regional Anesthesia
|January 1, 1991
PubMed

Insights

Parascalene block provides effective pain relief for children undergoing upper extremity surgery. This brachial plexus block technique significantly reduced opioid use and pain scores post-operation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Regional Anesthesia
  • Pain Management

Background:

  • Effective postoperative pain management is crucial in pediatric surgery.
  • Regional anesthesia techniques, such as brachial plexus blocks, can provide superior analgesia.
  • The parascalene approach is a method for accessing the brachial plexus.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of the parascalene brachial plexus block for postoperative analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing elective upper extremity surgery.
  • To compare opioid requirements and pain scores between patients receiving a parascalene block and a control group.

Main Methods:

  • Nineteen pediatric patients (6 months to 12 years) were randomized to receive either a parascalene block or a sham injection.
  • Both groups received general anesthesia with an inhalational agent.
  • The parascalene group received 0.5 ml/kg 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine via nerve stimulator guidance; the control group received a needle puncture.

Main Results:

  • Patients in the parascalene block group experienced significantly less opioid consumption in the first 12 postoperative hours.
  • Objective pain scale scores were significantly lower in the parascalene block group.
  • The parascalene approach was found to be a simple and reliable analgesic technique.

Conclusions:

  • The parascalene brachial plexus block is an effective method for providing postoperative analgesia in children undergoing upper extremity surgery.
  • This technique offers a reliable alternative to systemic opioids for pain management in pediatric surgical patients.
  • The parascalene approach demonstrates significant benefits in reducing postoperative pain and opioid requirements.

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