Conditions: Pain
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 12
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study aims to determine if there is any difference in the success rate of ultra-sound guided femoral nerve block performed with an echogenic needle versus a standard needle.

Detailed description:
To date, the published information regarding ultrasound guided femoral nerve blocks (FNB) using echo friendly needle is very limited. More so, there is even less information regarding ultrasound guided nerve blocks using echogenic versus standard of care needles.

This study hopes to add to the general knowledge of pain management in the emergency department (ED) setting and provide a unique perspective on ultrasound-guided techniques using echogenic needles to enhance accuracy and success rate of nerve blocks in ED patients.

The study design will have two comparative arms; in both arms we use the same local anesthetic which is Bupivacaine 0.25% with epinephrine; in all cases a total of 15 mL will be injected around the femoral nerve. Once identified with ultrasound, 5 ml will be injected at lateral, medial, and posterior aspect of the nerve. The experimental arm will receive an FNB using an echogenic needle; and the control group will receive an FNB using standard of care needles.

Arms:
arm 1: The experimental arm will receive ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block using echogenic needles, which are micro laser etched near the tip to reflect sound waves back to the transducer and make the tip visible. arm 2: The control group will receive ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block using standard of care needles.

Interventions: intervention 1: Femoral Nerve Block intervention 2: Echogenic needle intervention 3: Standard of care needle intervention 4: Ultrasound
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Femoral Nerve Block for isolated femur fractures intervention 2: The experimental arm will receive ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block using echogenic needles, which are micro laser etched near the tip to reflect sound waves back to the transducer and make the tip visible. intervention 3: The control group will receive ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block using standard of care needles. intervention 4: The experimental arm will receive ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block using echogenic needles, which are micro laser etched near the tip to reflect sound waves back to the transducer and make the tip visible.

The control group will receive ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block using standard of care needles.

Protocol document: