<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Ultrasound guided peripheral nerve block (USgPNB) refers to anaesthetic techniques to deposit local anesthetic next to nerves, permitting painful surgery without necessitating general anesthesia. Needle tip position prior to local anesthetic deposition is a key determinant of block success and safety. Nerve puncture and intra-neural injection of local anesthetic can cause permanent nerve injury. Currently ultrasound guidance is not sufficiently sensitive to reliably detect needle to nerve proximity. Feedback with bioimpedance data from the smart needle tip might provide the anesthetist with information as to the relationship between the needle tip and the target nerve prior to local anesthetic deposition.</p>
<p>Bioimpedance using a smart needle integrated with a two-electrode impedance sensor has been developed to determine needle to nerve proximity during USgPNB. Having obtained all necessary ethical and regulatory approvals, <italic>in vivo</italic> data on brachial plexus, vagus, femoral and sciatic nerves were obtained from seven pig models using the smart needle bioimpedance system. The excision and histological analysis of above peripheral nerves and observation of the architecture and structure of nerves by means of histology allow the calculation of the ratios of connective tissue to neural tissue to determine the influence of this variable on absolute impedance. The ratio results give extra clinical data and explain the hetrogeneity of impedance data in the pig models and the hypothesis that connective tissue with intra-neural fat has higher impedance than neural tissue.</p>
</abstract>

Ultrasound guided peripheral nerve block (USgPNB) refers to anaesthetic techniques to deposit local anesthetic next to nerves, permitting painful surgery without necessitating general anesthesia. Needle tip position prior to local anesthetic deposition is a key determinant of block success and safety. Nerve puncture and intra-neural injection of local anesthetic can cause permanent nerve injury. Currently ultrasound guidance is not sufficiently sensitive to reliably detect needle to nerve proximity. Feedback with bioimpedance data from the smart needle tip might provide the anesthetist with information as to the relationship between the needle tip and the target nerve prior to local anesthetic deposition.
Bioimpedance using a smart needle integrated with a two-electrode impedance sensor has been developed to determine needle to nerve proximity during USgPNB. Having obtained all necessary ethical and regulatory approvals, in vivo data on brachial plexus, vagus, femoral and sciatic nerves were obtained from seven pig models using the smart needle bioimpedance system. The excision and histological analysis of above peripheral nerves and observation of the architecture and structure of nerves by means of histology allow the calculation of the ratios of connective tissue to neural tissue to determine the influence of this variable on absolute impedance. The ratio results give extra clinical data and explain the hetrogeneity of impedance data in the pig models and the hypothesis that connective tissue with intra-neural fat has higher impedance than neural tissue.

Smart needle electrical bioimpedance to provide information on needle tip relationship to target nerve prior to local anesthetic deposition in peripheral nerve block (USgPNB) procedures

Journal of Electrical Bioimpedance

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Ultrasound guided peripheral nerve block (USgPNB) refers to anaesthetic techniques to deposit local anesthetic next to nerves, permitting painful surgery...

Smart needle electrical bioimpedance to provide information on needle tip relationship to target nerve prior to local anesthetic deposition in peripheral nerve block (USgPNB) procedures

Published Online: Dec 31, 2023

Page range: 53 - 59

Received: Apr 28, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/joeb-2023-0007

Keywords
Bioimpedance, current, voltage, peripheral nerves, connective tissue, neural tissue, anesthetic, smart needle

© 2023 Edel Whelton et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Smart needle electrical bioimpedance to provide information on needle tip relationship to target nerve prior to local anesthetic deposition in peripheral nerve block (USgPNB) procedures

Published Online: Dec 31, 2023

Page range: 53 - 59

Received: Apr 28, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/joeb-2023-0007

KeywordsBioimpedance, current, voltage, peripheral nerves, connective tissue, neural tissue, anesthetic, smart needle

© 2023 Edel Whelton et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Bioimpedance, current, voltage, peripheral nerves, connective tissue, neural tissue, anesthetic, smart needle