Dose-Response Relationships for Hemidiaphragmatic Paresis Following Ultrasound-Guided Supraclavicular Block

Dose-Response Relationships for Hemidiaphragmatic Paresis Following Ultrasound-Guided Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Blockade

This clinical trial is for subjects undergoing right upper extremity surgery. The aim of the study is to investigate the dose-response relationship between local anesthetic volume and ipsilateral hemidiaphragmatic paresis (HDP) in patients getting ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus blocks in a blinded, prospective trial.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Surgery of Right Upper Extremity
• Intervention / Treatment: Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter

Detailed Description

With traditional landmark-based or nerve-stimulator techniques, the incidence of HDP following supraclavicular blocks is approximately 50-67%. Ultrasound-guided techniques are thought to enhance precision while reducing the volume of anesthetic used, but even then HDP incidence is nearly 60%. To date, no trials have studied the dose-response relationship between local anesthetic volume and degree of HDP.

Patient Selection

30 eligible patients undergoing right upper extremity surgery and eligible for supraclavicular blocks will be recruited at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Evaluation of HDP

Baseline M-mode recordings of diaphragm function will be made by an anesthesiologist. Patients will perform "voluntary sniff" (VS) tests, or forceful nasal inhales, immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and again at 15 minutes and 30 minutes after the block.

Diaphragmatic excursion from baseline will be measured in centimeters; three measurements will be made and averaged. Hemidiaphragmatic paresis will be defined as greater than or equal to 60% reduction in diaphragmatic excursion, no movement, or paradoxical movement in the VS test.

Evaluation of Pulmonary Function

A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.

Evaluation of Supraclavicular Block

At the 15- and 30-minute marks, the investigators will assess sensory blockade and motor block in the axial, musculocutaneous, radial, median, and ulnar distributions. Both will be judged on 3-point scales. The investigators will also apply a 0-10 point verbal rating scale to assess dyspnea at 30 minutes. Oxygen saturation will be measured off of supplemental oxygen before the block and 30 minutes after the block.

Following the assessments, patients will have surgery using brachial plexus blockade as the primary anesthetic.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 24
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10065
      • Weill Cornell Medical College

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 105 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Undergoing right upper extremity surgery with supraclavicular block as the primary anesthetic
• Age greater than or equal to 18 years of age
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status 1 to 3
• Able to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient refusal for supraclavicular block
• Inability to give informed consent
• Allergy to local anesthetics
• Hemidiaphragmatic dysfunction, suspected or known pulmonary disease
• Neuromuscular disease
• Obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease
• Medical or anatomic contraindication to supraclavicular blockade as judged by clinician
• Pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

7

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Dose Cohort 7; 5 mL of 2:1 mixture of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine Ultrasound Imaging Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter	Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; M-mode tracings of right diaphragm motion will be made and recorded by a skilled anesthesiologist. Patients will be examined in the supine position and scanned from a low intercostal or subcostal approach using the liver as an acoustic window. Patients will be asked to perform a "voluntary sniff" (VS) test, for which they will be asked to forcefully inhale through the nose in a sniffing position. The above measurement will be performed immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and then at 15 minute and 30 minutes after block.; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; The patient will be positioned supine with the head turned to the contralateral side. The ultrasound will be placed in the supraclavicular fossa, and the skin and subcutaneous tissues will be infiltrated lateral to the probe with 2% lidocaine. The anesthesiologist can redirect the needle and perform additional injections for complete coverage of the brachial plexus. The local anesthetic will be a 2:1 mix of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine.; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter; A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.
Other: Dose Cohort 6; 10 mL of 2:1 mixture of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine Ultrasound Imaging Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter	Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; M-mode tracings of right diaphragm motion will be made and recorded by a skilled anesthesiologist. Patients will be examined in the supine position and scanned from a low intercostal or subcostal approach using the liver as an acoustic window. Patients will be asked to perform a "voluntary sniff" (VS) test, for which they will be asked to forcefully inhale through the nose in a sniffing position. The above measurement will be performed immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and then at 15 minute and 30 minutes after block.; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; The patient will be positioned supine with the head turned to the contralateral side. The ultrasound will be placed in the supraclavicular fossa, and the skin and subcutaneous tissues will be infiltrated lateral to the probe with 2% lidocaine. The anesthesiologist can redirect the needle and perform additional injections for complete coverage of the brachial plexus. The local anesthetic will be a 2:1 mix of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine.; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter; A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.
Other: Dose Cohort 5; 15 mL of 2:1 mixture of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine Ultrasound Imaging Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter	Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; M-mode tracings of right diaphragm motion will be made and recorded by a skilled anesthesiologist. Patients will be examined in the supine position and scanned from a low intercostal or subcostal approach using the liver as an acoustic window. Patients will be asked to perform a "voluntary sniff" (VS) test, for which they will be asked to forcefully inhale through the nose in a sniffing position. The above measurement will be performed immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and then at 15 minute and 30 minutes after block.; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; The patient will be positioned supine with the head turned to the contralateral side. The ultrasound will be placed in the supraclavicular fossa, and the skin and subcutaneous tissues will be infiltrated lateral to the probe with 2% lidocaine. The anesthesiologist can redirect the needle and perform additional injections for complete coverage of the brachial plexus. The local anesthetic will be a 2:1 mix of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine.; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter; A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.
Other: Dose Cohort 4; 20 mL of 2:1 mixture of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine Ultrasound Imaging Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter	Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; M-mode tracings of right diaphragm motion will be made and recorded by a skilled anesthesiologist. Patients will be examined in the supine position and scanned from a low intercostal or subcostal approach using the liver as an acoustic window. Patients will be asked to perform a "voluntary sniff" (VS) test, for which they will be asked to forcefully inhale through the nose in a sniffing position. The above measurement will be performed immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and then at 15 minute and 30 minutes after block.; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; The patient will be positioned supine with the head turned to the contralateral side. The ultrasound will be placed in the supraclavicular fossa, and the skin and subcutaneous tissues will be infiltrated lateral to the probe with 2% lidocaine. The anesthesiologist can redirect the needle and perform additional injections for complete coverage of the brachial plexus. The local anesthetic will be a 2:1 mix of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine.; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter; A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.
Other: Dose Cohort 3; Supraclavicular Block: 25 mL of 2:1 mixture of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine Ultrasound Imaging Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter	Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; M-mode tracings of right diaphragm motion will be made and recorded by a skilled anesthesiologist. Patients will be examined in the supine position and scanned from a low intercostal or subcostal approach using the liver as an acoustic window. Patients will be asked to perform a "voluntary sniff" (VS) test, for which they will be asked to forcefully inhale through the nose in a sniffing position. The above measurement will be performed immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and then at 15 minute and 30 minutes after block.; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; The patient will be positioned supine with the head turned to the contralateral side. The ultrasound will be placed in the supraclavicular fossa, and the skin and subcutaneous tissues will be infiltrated lateral to the probe with 2% lidocaine. The anesthesiologist can redirect the needle and perform additional injections for complete coverage of the brachial plexus. The local anesthetic will be a 2:1 mix of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine.; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter; A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.
Other: Dose Cohort 2; 30 mL of 2:1 mixture of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine Ultrasound Imaging Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter	Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; M-mode tracings of right diaphragm motion will be made and recorded by a skilled anesthesiologist. Patients will be examined in the supine position and scanned from a low intercostal or subcostal approach using the liver as an acoustic window. Patients will be asked to perform a "voluntary sniff" (VS) test, for which they will be asked to forcefully inhale through the nose in a sniffing position. The above measurement will be performed immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and then at 15 minute and 30 minutes after block.; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; The patient will be positioned supine with the head turned to the contralateral side. The ultrasound will be placed in the supraclavicular fossa, and the skin and subcutaneous tissues will be infiltrated lateral to the probe with 2% lidocaine. The anesthesiologist can redirect the needle and perform additional injections for complete coverage of the brachial plexus. The local anesthetic will be a 2:1 mix of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine.; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter; A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.
Other: Dose Cohort 1; 35 mL of 2:1 mixture of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine Ultrasound Imaging Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter	Diagnostic test: Ultrasound Imaging; M-mode tracings of right diaphragm motion will be made and recorded by a skilled anesthesiologist. Patients will be examined in the supine position and scanned from a low intercostal or subcostal approach using the liver as an acoustic window. Patients will be asked to perform a "voluntary sniff" (VS) test, for which they will be asked to forcefully inhale through the nose in a sniffing position. The above measurement will be performed immediately preceding the brachial plexus blockade, and then at 15 minute and 30 minutes after block.; Drug: Supraclavicular Block; The patient will be positioned supine with the head turned to the contralateral side. The ultrasound will be placed in the supraclavicular fossa, and the skin and subcutaneous tissues will be infiltrated lateral to the probe with 2% lidocaine. The anesthesiologist can redirect the needle and perform additional injections for complete coverage of the brachial plexus. The local anesthetic will be a 2:1 mix of 1.5% mepivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine.; Other: Bedside Negative Inspiratory Force Meter; A bedside negative inspiratory force (NIF) meter will be used to measure negative inspiratory force prior to the block and 30 minutes after the block.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Subjects With Hemidiaphragmatic Paresis at Various Volumes of Local Anesthetic 15 Minutes After Supraclavicular Block	Diaphragm motion was recorded during voluntary sniffing fifteen minutes after supraclavicular block with the specified volume of local anesthetic. Blinded investigators reviewed the scans and determined whether the scans were indicative of hemidiaphragmatic paresis (HDP) or not (No HDP). This data was fit to a dose response curve.	15 minutes
Number of Subjects With Hemidiaphragmatic Paresis at Various Volumes of Local Anesthetic 30 Minutes After Supraclavicular Block	Diaphragm motion was recorded during voluntary sniffing 30 minutes after supraclavicular block with the specified volume of local anesthetic. Blinded investigators reviewed the scans and determined whether the scans were indicative of hemidiaphragmatic paresis (HDP) or not (No HDP). This data was fit to a dose response curve.	30 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Negative Inspiratory Force (NIF) at 30 Minutes	The change of the absolute value of NIF from the baseline measurement to that at 30 minutes after the block	30 minutes
Dose Response Curve for Motor and Sensory Block 15 Minutes After Block	As described in the protocol, each subject's block was assessed via motor and sensory exam at 15 minutes and given a score (0-20), with 20 being a perfect block and any score less than 10 indicating an ineffective block. A dose response curve was generated for block score with different volumes of local anesthetic administered.	15 minutes
Dose Response Curve for Motor and Sensory Block Score 30 Minutes After Block	As described in the protocol, each subject's block was assessed via motor and sensory exam at 30 minutes and given a score (0-20), with 20 being a perfect block and any score less than 10 indicating an ineffective block. A dose response curve was generated for block score with different volumes of local anesthetic administered.	30 minutes
Change in Room Air Oxygen Saturation at 30 Minutes.	The change in room air oxygen saturation from baseline to 30 minutes after the block was calculated.	30 minutes
Subjective Dyspnea 30 Minutes After Block	30 minutes after the block, patients were asked to rate any symptoms of dyspnea on a scale of 0 (no trouble breathing) to 10 (extreme trouble breathing).	30 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Tiffany Tedore, MD, WCMC, NYP

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Petrar SD, Seltenrich ME, Head SJ, Schwarz SK. Hemidiaphragmatic paralysis following ultrasound-guided supraclavicular versus infraclavicular brachial plexus blockade: a randomized clinical trial. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2015 Mar-Apr;40(2):133-8. doi: 10.1097/AAP.0000000000000215.
• Boussuges A, Gole Y, Blanc P. Diaphragmatic motion studied by m-mode ultrasonography: methods, reproducibility, and normal values. Chest. 2009 Feb;135(2):391-400. doi: 10.1378/chest.08-1541. Epub 2008 Nov 18.
• Renes SH, Spoormans HH, Gielen MJ, Rettig HC, van Geffen GJ. Hemidiaphragmatic paresis can be avoided in ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2009 Nov-Dec;34(6):595-9. doi: 10.1097/aap.0b013e3181bfbd83.
• Soares LG, Brull R, Lai J, Chan VW. Eight ball, corner pocket: the optimal needle position for ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2007 Jan-Feb;32(1):94-5. doi: 10.1016/j.rapm.2006.10.007. No abstract available.
• Kant A, Gupta PK, Zohar S, Chevret S, Hopkins PM. Application of the continual reassessment method to dose-finding studies in regional anesthesia: an estimate of the ED95 dose for 0.5% bupivacaine for ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block. Anesthesiology. 2013 Jul;119(1):29-35. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31829764cf. Erratum In: Anesthesiology. 2015 Sep;123(3):740.
• Mier-Jedrzejowicz A, Brophy C, Moxham J, Green M. Assessment of diaphragm weakness. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1988 Apr;137(4):877-83. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/137.4.877.
• Tedore TR, YaDeau JT, Maalouf DB, Weiland AJ, Tong-Ngork S, Wukovits B, Paroli L, Urban MK, Zayas VM, Wu A, Gordon MA. Comparison of the transarterial axillary block and the ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block for upper extremity surgery: a prospective randomized trial. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2009 Jul-Aug;34(4):361-5. doi: 10.1097/AAP.0b013e3181ac9e2d.
• O'Quigley J, Pepe M, Fisher L. Continual reassessment method: a practical design for phase 1 clinical trials in cancer. Biometrics. 1990 Mar;46(1):33-48.
• Garrett-Mayer E. The continual reassessment method for dose-finding studies: a tutorial. Clin Trials. 2006;3(1):57-71. doi: 10.1191/1740774506cn134oa.
• Neal JM. Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia and Patient Safety: Update of an Evidence-Based Analysis. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2016 Mar-Apr;41(2):195-204. doi: 10.1097/AAP.0000000000000295.
• Tedore TR, Lin HX, Pryor KO, Tangel VE, Pak DJ, Akerman M, Wellman DS, Oden-Brunson H. Dose-response relationship between local anesthetic volume and hemidiaphragmatic paresis following ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus blockade. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2020 Dec;45(12):979-984. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2020-101728. Epub 2020 Oct 1.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 12, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 30, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): July 30, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 24, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 1, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): May 3, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 13, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2020
• Last Verified: April 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Paresis
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1609017547

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes