title: Comparison of transthecal digital block and traditional digital block for anesthesia of the finger.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the newly described transthecal (TT) and traditional (TD) methods of digital block anesthesia with regard to length of time to achieve anesthesia and pain during infiltration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy adult paid volunteers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each subject received a TT block on one hand and a TD block on the opposite hand. All blocks were performed by the same investigator and were rated by an evaluator who was blinded to the technique that was used. Time to loss of pin-prick sensation was measured, and the pain of the procedure was recorded by the subject on a 10-cm visual-analog scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 162 blocks (81 TT and 81 TD) were performed in 31 different subjects. All blocks were successful. Mean time to anesthesia for TT block was 188 seconds compared with 152 seconds for the TD block (P < .01). Mean analog pain score was slightly higher for TT block than for TD block (1.7 versus 1.4, P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TT block is clinically equal to the TD method in terms of time to anesthesia and visual-analog pain score.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, St Luke's Hospital, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Heller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013997:Time Factors