Successful peripheral nerve blockade is fundamental to modern regional anesthesia, particularly for upper limb surgeries. Ensuring the efficacy of a nerve block early in the perioperative period is critical, as delayed recognition of block failure may lead to intraoperative pain, the need for additional sedation or general anesthesia, and overall poorer patient outcomes. Conventional methods for assessing block success, such as sensory testing with pinprick or cold stimuli and motor assessment using strength scales, require patient cooperation and often take 15-30 minutes to yield definitive results. These delays are especially limiting in fast-paced surgical environments or when early decisions regarding anesthesia management are necessary. Emerging non-invasive monitoring technologies offer promising alternatives for the early, objective assessment of block efficacy. Infrared Thermography (IRT) measures skin surface temperature, which increases due to sympathetic nerve blockade-induced vasodilation.
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Change in Skin Temperature (°C) Measured by Infrared Thermography From Baseline to 10 Minutes Post-block.
Timeframe: Baseline, 5, and 10 minutes post-injection
Change in Perfusion Index From Baseline to 10 Minutes Post-block
Timeframe: Baseline, 5, and 10 minutes post-injection
Tarek Ashraf Ibrahim Abd Al-Hafiz, resident doctor