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A Pilot In Vitro Evaluation of the "Air Test" for Perineural Catheter Tip Localization by a Novice Regional Anesthesiologist JOURNAL OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE Johns, J., Harrison, T. K., Steffel, L., Howard, S. K., Kim, T. E., Kou, A., Mariano, E. R. 2014; 33 (12): 2197-2200

Abstract

The "air test" is used clinically to infer perineural catheter location and has been recently evaluated for use by experts. However, its utility for practitioners with less experience is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that the air test, when performed by a novice regional anesthesiologist, will improve assessment of perineural catheter tip position in a validated porcine-bovine model and determined the test's positive and negative predictive values, sensitivity, and specificity for a novice. In contrast to the results of the expert study, the air test did not improve the novice's assessment of perineural catheter tip location over chance.

View details for DOI 10.7863/ultra.33.12.2197

View details for Web of Science ID 000346232600019

View details for PubMedID 25425379