Podcast 571:  Digital Blocks

<p><strong>Contributor: Jared Scott, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Traditional digital block involves dorsal approach on either side of the digit, injecting local anesthetic along each side to numb all four nerves of the digit</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Newer approach involves a single injection along the palmar surface at MCP joint</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Recent study further compared a proximal vs distal single palmar (volar) injection with sites at the MCP and PIP joints</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Injection sites achieved similar anesthesia between groups but PIP injection site had faster time of onset - 2.5 minutes compared to 3.8 minutes</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Choi S, Cho YS, Kang B, Kim GW, Han S. The difference of subcutaneous digital nerve block method efficacy according to injection location.</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Am J Emerg Med</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">. 2020;38(1):95‐98. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2019.04.031</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD</span></em></span></p> <p><br /> <br /></p>