Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Year of the Nurse - November 2020 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/1306204

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 57 of 83

ous blocks stay in is based on anesthesiologists' comfort level and institutional culture. • Better imaging. Handheld ultrasound devices don't replace larger ultrasound machines, but are well suited for bread-and-butter blocks, as well as for serving as a backup to your main unit. Some handheld devices feature pixel electronics and require different probes for different functions. Cost can be a limiting factor, as the machine runs about $60,000 and each probe costs roughly $15,000. Most blocks, however, can be performed with a single lin- ear probe. Other handheld devices use semi-con- ductor technology instead of pixel electronics, work very well and are a game-changer because of their cost — only $2,000. The image isn't quite as good as more expensive models, but is adequate for many applications. Some models come with needle-identi- fication technology that can help new practitioners safely place a block or help with placement in a patient with a large body habitus. Untapped potential One reason nerve blocks aren't used as often as they should be is many experienced anesthesia providers were trained to use nerve stimulation blocks and don't see the advantage of using ultrasound. Lack of training in regional anesthe- sia will result in inconsistent outcomes —and surgeons don't like inconsistencies. Some anes- thesia providers think they can perform nerve blocks without additional training or after taking the equivalent of a weekend course, which isn't the case. The first step toward incorporating or increasing the use of nerve blocks in your facility is to hire a provider with experience in administering regional anesthesia with the intention of teaching the rest of the anesthesia team how to do it. Investing in some- one who performs successful blocks all the time is the best way to safely transition to performing more blocks and achieve more consistent results. 5 8 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 When days and nights of opioid sparing recovery matter, Advance your clinical outcomes with Nimbus™ using Intermi+ent Bolus to achieve optimum analgesic duration. Double the infusion time by conserving medication delivery. To learn more, visit www.nimbuspainpro.com or call +1 (844)-479-8500. 5 is better than 3.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers - Year of the Nurse - November 2020 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine