Table 2.
Data Showing the Procedural Time, Skin-to-epidural Distance, Number of Attempts, Bone Contacts, Needle Redirections, Ease of Catheter Insertion, Complications and Postoperative IV Analgesia Requirement in the Two Groups
| Variables | Group UT (n = 23) | Group LT (n = 22) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time taken (in seconds) | 143.0 (150 [25–960]) | 105.5 (297.0 [40–650]) | 0.407 |
| Skin-epidural distance (mm) | 12.9 (3.3 [10–17.8]) | 15.0 (5.0 [10–25]) | 0.027 |
| Number of attempts | |||
| First attempt | 19 (82.6) | 9 (40.9) | 0.004 |
| Two or more attempts | 4 (17.4) | 13 (59.1) | |
| Bone contacts | |||
| No bone contact | 16 (69.6) | 8 (36.4) | 0.026 |
| One or more bone contacts | 7 (30.4) | 14 (63.6) | |
| Needle redirections | |||
| No needle redirections | 20 (87.0) | 9 (40.9) | < 0.001 |
| One or more needle redirections | 3 (13.0) | 13 (59.1) | |
| Ease of catheter insertion | |||
| Easy | 20 (86.9) | 16 (72.7) | 0.426 |
| Moderate | 2 (8.6) | 5 (22.7) | |
| Difficult | 1 (4.3) | 1 (4.5) | |
| Complications | |||
| Dura puncture | 0 | 4 (18.2) | 0.032 |
| Bloody tap | 1 (4.3) | 0 | |
| Failure | 0 | 8 (36.4) | < 0.001 |
| Postoperative IV analgesia | 0 | 3 (13.6) | 0.060 |
Data are represented as median (1Q, 3Q [range]) or number (%). Group LT: landmark technique group, Group UT: real-time US group.