There’s Nothing Like 6 Inches–Tuohy Needle, That Is

Torre Del Paine - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman M.D.

When placing a TAP block, the 6 inch, 17 gauge Tuohy epidural needle provides outstanding visibility and tactile sensation.  This is particularly the case in hefty patients where long distances to the block site are the norm.  The extra needle length allows one to employ less steep trajectories for better ultrasound images, while still have a enough length to hit the target.

6 inch needles work well with subcostal TAPs, where extension of the block to include the lower abdominal segments is required.  After the initial injection, the needle can be advanced inferior-laterally to follow the expansion of the transverse abdominis plane caused by the high volume, low concentration local anesthetic.

Prayer Wheels in Lhasa - photo by JoAnn Sturman