Ultrasound does not improve the success rate of a deep peroneal nerve block at the ankle.

Background: The deep peroneal nerve is 1 of 5 nerves anesthetized when performing an ankle block. Multiple techniques of blocking the deep peroneal nerve have been described, but little evidence exists to delineate the efficacy of any one technique. We hypothesized that ultrasound would increase both the success rate and the quality of a deep peroneal nerve block at the ankle.

Error in central venous pressure measurement.

Background: The variability introduced by inconsistent placement of pressure transducers for invasive monitoring may result in significant measurement error. Our goals in this study were to quantify the degree of variation among health care providers and to identify a simple tool for reducing this error.

Methods: A sample of 50 perioperative health care providers was recruited and asked to place a transducer at the appropriate level for central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring on two separate occasions: first without any additional standardization tools and second with a laser level to guide transducer placement.