This technique for digital anaesthesia is an alternative to the commonly taught dorsal approach and once mastered seems to be at least as effective and potentially less painful for the patient.
This video is by Stuart Myers, an Orthopaedic hand and wrist surgeon from Sydney. If you are a health professional looking for more free online education resources related to hands and wrists, head over to Stuart’s website: myhand.com.au
Posted in Local anaesthetic, Nerve blocksAll too often I walk through the ED and see nursing staff, junior, and sometimes senior medical staff performing painful procedures (such as venepuncture, IV cannulation, digital nerve block or plaster application to an acute fracture) on patients sitting in chairs, often with the body part being treated resting on the bed or trolley! I also frequently see the patient looking distressed or just getting vagal/pre-syncopal in this position. Occasionally one will faint mid-procedure and fall off the chair, or their friend/relative who was left standing in the corner watching will faint and then we have two patients instead of one.
What could go wrong if you sit a patient in a chair during a painful procedure:
WHOOPS!
Bad for patient because:
Bad for you because:
SO INSTEAD:
IF THE PATIENT FAINTS
So with that in mind, please follow these simple steps when performing ANY procedure that involves needles, pain or the sight of blood.
Held in central Melbourne, this 1-day course will allow advanced ACEM/ACRRM/RACGP trainees, ACEM Certificate & Diploma candidates, FACEMs and GPs to learn and practice a wide range of critical ED procedures in one day.
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