Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Epinephrine in digital blocks: revisited

B J Wilhelmi1, S J Blackwell, J Miller

  • 1Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555-0724, USA.

Annals of Plastic Surgery
|October 27, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Recipient Vessel Selection in Head and Neck Reconstruction.

Eplasty·2018
Same author

Safe Tummy Tuck: Anatomy and Strategy to Avoid Injury to the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve During Abdominoplasty.

Eplasty·2015
Same author

Dorsalis pedis arterial pulse: palpation using a bony landmark.

Postgraduate medical journal·2003
Same author

Upper blepharoplasty with bony anatomical landmarks to avoid injury to trochlea and superior oblique muscle tendon with fat resection.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery·2001
Same author

Trigger finger release with hand surface landmark ratios: an anatomic and clinical study.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery·2001
Same author

Ruptured pseudoaneurysm complicating an infected radial artery catheter: case report and review of the literature.

Annals of plastic surgery·2001

Epinephrine in digital block anesthesia does not cause finger gangrene. This study found no complications in 23 finger injury treatments using epinephrine with lidocaine for digital blocks, highlighting its safety and efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Hand Surgery
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Digital block anesthesia is crucial for hand and finger procedures.
  • Concerns exist regarding epinephrine's use in digital blocks due to potential vasoconstriction and gangrene.
  • Existing literature lacks definitive cases linking epinephrine solely to digital block-induced gangrene.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety and efficacy of epinephrine as an adjunct to lidocaine in digital block anesthesia.
  • To determine if epinephrine augmentation increases the risk of finger gangrene in patients undergoing digital blocks.
  • To assess the clinical outcomes of digital blocks utilizing epinephrine for finger injury treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Extensive literature review to identify reported cases of finger gangrene associated with digital blocks.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Clinical application of epinephrine-augmented lidocaine digital blocks in a series of 23 patients with finger injuries.
  • Monitoring for complications, specifically digital ischemia or gangrene, in all treated patients.

    • Main Results:

    • No cases of finger gangrene were found in the literature solely attributed to the adjunctive use of epinephrine with lidocaine for digital block.
    • The treatment of 23 finger injuries using epinephrine-augmented digital block anesthesia resulted in zero reported complications.
    • Epinephrine's vasoconstrictive properties were observed to prolong anesthetic duration and provide hemostasis, complementing the local analgesic effect.

    Conclusions:

    • The adjunctive use of epinephrine with lidocaine for digital block anesthesia is safe and does not appear to cause finger gangrene.
    • Epinephrine augmentation enhances the effectiveness of digital blocks by prolonging anesthesia and aiding hemostasis.
    • Clinicians can confidently utilize epinephrine in digital blocks for treating finger injuries, as demonstrated by the absence of complications in this series.