[Regional survey of peripheral nerve block practice by French residents].

OBJECTIVES: There are limited data on peripheral nerve block (PNB) practices by residents in France, especially with after introduction of ultrasound. A survey was conducted on PNB practices by French residents.

STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter prospective descriptive study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: All residents completed a survey form after each PNB procedure.

RESULTS: A total of 394 procedures performed by 21 residents in 4 hospitals were collected. The number of procedures and average volume of local anesthetics by type of block are: axillary block 245-25mL (62%), interscalene 29-21mL (7%), supraclavicular 1-25mL (0.3%), 2-25mL infraclavicular (0.5%), femoral 65-18mL (16.5%), sciatic 52-22mL (13%). Detection was done by ultrasound only for 365 (92.6%) procedures, and neurostimulation only for 23 (5.8%) procedures. The duration of procedure was less than 5min for 200 (50.7%) procedures and more than 15min for 16 (4%) procedures. A single puncture was required for 307 (78%) procedures. The initial block success was obtained in 369 (93%) procedures. High training level residents required less time (P<0.0001), less puncture (P<0.046) and less neurostimulation use (P<0.0001) than novices, without difference in success rate and the volume of local anesthetic required.

CONCLUSIONS: The majority of procedures performed by the residents are using ultrasound. The procedure is usually fast, requiring mainly a single puncture and has a high rate of success.