European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction: Upper limb surgeries frequently use the brachial plexus blockade method. The conventional approach of treating paresthesia is a blind procedure that may have a higher failure rate and cause damage to the nerves and nearby structures. Peripheral nerve stimulator and ultrasound techniques were introduced to help with better localization of the nerve/plexus in order to avoid some of these issues. With excellent localization and increased safety margin, ultrasound has increased the success rate of supraclavicular brachial plexus blocks. The purpose of this study was to contrast the effectiveness of a Peripheral nerve stimulator with an ultrasound-guided technique brachial plexus block. Material and Methods: After obtaining the Institutional ethical committee approval and patient consent total of 60 patients were enrolled in this prospective randomized study and were randomly divided into two groups: Peripheral nerve stimulator (Group PNS) and ultrasound-guided technique (Group USG). Both groups received 0.5% bupivacaine. The amount of local anesthetic injected calculated according to the body weight and was not crossing the toxic dosage (injection bupivacaine 2 mg/kg). The parameters compared between the two groups were lock execution time, time of onset of sensory and motor block, quality of sensory and motor block success rates were noted. The failed blocks were supplemented with general anesthesia. Results: Demographic data were comparable in both groups. The mean time taken for the procedure to administer a block by eliciting PNS is less compared to USG, and it was statistically significant. The mean time of onset of motor block, sensory blockade, the duration of sensory and motor blockade was statistically significant. The success rate of the block is more in ultrasound group than PNSgroup which was not clinically significant. The incidence of complications was seen more in PNS group. Conclusion: Ultrasound guidance is the safe and effective method for the supraclavicular brachial plexus block. Incidence of complications are less as ultrasound provides real-time visulaization of underlying structures and the spread of local anaesthetic.