Patient characteristics and response to sympathetic blockade
| Response to sympathetic blockade | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient No: Sex, age (years) | Type of injury | Duration of pain (months) | Pain ratings: before/1–3 h/7 ha | Temperature (°C)b: affected/unaffected | EDAc | VRc | Pain increase: before/after block | ||
| Before | After | Startle | Cold | ||||||
| aPain rating (minimal pain: 0–3; moderate pain: 4–7; severe pain: 8–10) before, 1–3 hours after, and 7 hours after sympathetic blockade. | |||||||||
| bTemperature of the fingers or toes before and after sympathetic blockade in the affected and unaffected limbs. | |||||||||
| cElectrodermal activity or vasoconstrictor responses were present (+) or absent (−) in the affected limb after sympathetic blockade, or were not detected on either side (0). | |||||||||
| dThe local anaesthetic injection was repeated two weeks after the first occasion in this patient. | |||||||||
| EDA, electrodermal activity; F, female; L, left; M, male; NR, not recorded; R, right; VR, vasoconstrictor responses. | |||||||||
| Patients with effective sympathetic blockade | |||||||||
| 1: F, 46 | R foot surgery | 4 | 4/1/0 | 24/24 | 34/23 | – | – | 2/0 | 2/0 |
| 2: F, 63 | L thumb surgery | 2.5 | 6/3/3 | 25/25 | 35/32 | – | – | 2/0 | 0/0 |
| 3: M, 30 | L ankle inversion | 3 | 5/1/1 | 23/25 | 35/25 | – | 0 | 1/0 | 1/0 |
| 4: M, 49 | R shoulder sprain, surgery | 5 | 5/2/2.5 | 33/31 | 34/31 | – | – | 0/0 | 2/1 |
| 5: F, 48 | R foot surgery | 3 | 9/2/2 | 21/21 | 33/23 | – | 0 | NR/NR | 4/2.5 |
| 6: F, 60 | L knee surgery | 13 | 7/0/3 | 24/24 | 35/25 | – | 0 | 0/0 | −1/0 |
| 7: M, 35 | L ankle surgery | 20 | 5/3/2 | 34/34 | 35/27 | – | – | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 8: F, 45 | R fingers surgery | 8 | 5/2/3 | 27/25 | 34/24 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 9: F, 33 | R wrist sprain | 38 | 5/1/1 | 25/29 | 35/27 | – | – | NR/NR | 0/0 |
| 10: F, 33 | R palm burn | 4 | 8/2/NR | 36/35 | 36/35 | – | – | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 11: F, 19 | R palm electrocution | 13 | 3/0/3 | 25/26 | 35/34 | – | – | 2/0 | 0/0 |
| 12: F, 50 | R brachial plexus traction | 13 | 3/0/4.5 | 22/22 | 31/25 | 0 | 0 | 2/0 | 0/0 |
| 13: F, 42 | L lumbar disc protrusion | 11 | 8/2/8.5 | 21/21 | 34/24 | – | – | 2/0 | 2/0 |
| 14: M, 54 | R ankle eversion | 25 | 5.5/2.5/4 | 27/29 | 35/29 | – | – | 0/0 | 1/1 |
| 15: M, 26 | R foot burn | 5 | 5/2/6 | 26/30 | 34/23 | – | – | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 16: F,42 | L foot fracture, surgery | 25 | 3/7/6 | 24/25 | 35/25 | – | – | 2/2 | 3/1 |
| 17: M, 35 | R forearm crush, wrist surgery | 14 | 5/5/5 | 28/28 | 35/32 | – | – | 2/2 | 1/2 |
| 18: F, 28 | R carpal tunnel decompression | 4 | 4/5/6 | 34/33 | 34/26 | – | 0 | 2/1 | 2/0 |
| 19: F, 41 | R ankle sprain | 2.5 | 8/9/8 | 25/24 | 35/26 | – | – | 2/0 | −1/−1 |
| 20: F, 54 | L thumb fracture, wrist surgery | 28 | 7.5/4.5/5.5 | 33/33 | 35/34 | – | – | 0.5/0 | 0.5/0 |
| 21: F, 37 | L ankle crush, sural nerve injury | 4 | 8/8/7 | 23/25 | 34/23 | – | 0 | 4/0 | 0/0 |
| 22: F, 38 | L knee sprain, surgery | 54 | 8/7/8 | 22/23 | 36/24 | 0 | – | 0/0 | 1/0 |
| 23: F, 34 | R knee blow, surgery | 13 | 9/7/8 | 22/23 | 35/21 | – | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1.5 |
| 24: F, 15 | L knee sprain | 0.5 | 7/6/7 | 19/20 | 35/25 | – | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 25: M, 42 | R fifth finger crush, surgery | 27 | 5/5/5 | 26/27 | 34/29 | + | – | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 26: M, 29 | L hand laceration | 8 | 8/4/NR | 33/32 | 35/25 | – | – | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Patients with incomplete or failed sympathetic blockade | |||||||||
| 11: F, 19d | R palm electrocution | 13 | 5/0/0 | 25/26 | 35/34 | + | + | 2/0 | 0/0 |
| 27: F, 61 | L fingers crushed | 14 | 4/0/0 | 34/34 | 35/34 | – | + | 3/0 | 0/1 |
| 28: F, 53 | R radial head fracture | 2 | 8/2/1 | 33/30 | 35/34 | – | + | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 29: M, 22 | R thumb hyperextension | 35 | 4/1/NR | 22/22 | 32/30 | NR | + | 0/0 | 3/0 |
| 30: F, 47 | L hand surgery | 20 | 5/3/6 | 30/31 | 32/30 | + | + | 3.5/2.5 | 2.5/1.5 |
| 31: F, 66 | L 2nd finger fracture, amputation | 36 | 8/2/8 | 34/34 | 34/34 | 0 | + | 1/6 | 2/0 |
| 32: F, 29 | R wrist blow | 72 | 8/7.5/7 | 24/26 | 34/30 | + | + | 1/0 | 1/2.5 |
| 33: M, 68 | L sciatic nerve injury | 3 | 5/4/6 | 28/31 | 28/30 | NR | 0 | 2/0 | 0/0 |
| 34: M, 53 | L hand crush, shoulder sprain | 9 | 7/5/7 | 30/32 | 34/33 | 0 | + | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 35: M, 52 | R carpal tunnel decompression | 5 | 7/5/5 | 33/33 | 35/35 | + | + | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| 36: F, 52 | L fourth finger fracture | 9 | 1/2/NR | 32/34 | 34/34 | + | + | 0/0 | 0/0 |