Anesthesia options for insertion of traction pins

[edogs334]

I'm not sure whether this question is in the correct forum, but under what kind of anesthesia are traction pins usually inserted- eg- for a femur fracture? I ask because the only time I've ever seen them inserted was a few years ago for a younger adult patient with a femur fracture- under conscious sedation only. Needless to say he screamed at the top of his lungs It's an experience I'll never forget.

[Qwiigley, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Depending on the location of the patient and the surgeon/doctor it can be done under conscience sedation (I'd go really heavy propofol gtt) or under general. I doubt it would be under a spinal except for special circumstances.

Anesthesia is an art. There are many ways to perform the needed pain relief. A femoral block is also a posibility, depending on the anesthetists experience with regionals. I do not do them, because it has been 5 years since I was trained and I do not feel comfortable doing something like this without more experience. But it is possible and in some settings preferred. (like the Navy etc.)

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

We hardly ever do traction pins, but when they are done, it's often in the ER with local and conscious sedation. The only times we've done them under anesthesia is when we need it to get the fracture reduced for ORIF/rodding/etc or if it's a peds patient.