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| LETTERS TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 64
| Issue : 12 | Page : 1081 |
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Customised face mask: Solution to facial nerve blocks in COVID-19
Ruchi Gupta1, Ameesha Mahajan2, Tavleen Kaur3, Anshul Mahajan4
1 Department of Anaesthesia, SGRDIMSR, Amritsar, Amritsar, India
2 Consultant Dermatologist, RM Aesthetics, Amritsar, India
3 Fellow Pain Medicine, SGRDIMSR, Amritsar, India
4 MBBS student, GMC, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| Date of Submission | 22-Aug-2020 |
| Date of Decision | 27-Sep-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 07-Oct-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 12-Dec-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Ruchi Gupta
Department of Anaesthesia, SGRDIMSR, Amritsar - 143 501, Punjab
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ija.IJA_1081_20
How to cite this article:
Gupta R, Mahajan A, Kaur T, Mahajan A. Customised face mask: Solution to facial nerve blocks in COVID-19. Indian J Anaesth 2020;64:1081 |
Sir,
During coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 times, it is important to cover a patient's face with a protective mask. However, managing patients with chronic pain can become extremely challenging especially in cases of uncontrolled cranial neuralgias that may require nerve blocks on the face. Trigeminal nerve has been approached indirectly through injection in the pterygopalatine fossa in trauma patients.[1] Since the traditional mask covers most of the area of the face, it is not possible to perform these blocks with safety. Concurrently, the chances of acquiring COVID infection through aerosols become multifold if the patient's mask is removed during the procedure.
We tried to tackle this encountered problem by customising the face masks for such procedures. This customised face mask has a smaller footprint covering only the nasal and oral apertures thus leaving ample space for head and neck nerve blocks to be performed. A smaller dimensioned cloth was cut and sewn. A single elastic band was attached from the edges of the mask, which wraps around the head area, combined with a flexible strip at the nasal end to ensure a proper fit and seal of the mask [Figure 1]a, [Figure 1]b and [Figure 2]a, [Figure 2]b. A similar mask is also being tried with success by dermatologists for laser hair removal of the facial region.[2] This mask has been used for performing infra-orbital, mental, mandibular, maxillary and glossopharyngeal nerve blocks in more than 10 patients, presenting to our OPD clinic. This mask provides great comfort and safety for both patients and doctors during this pandemic. | Figure 1: (a) Inability to perform facial blocks with normal mask. (b) Customised face mask with wider work field
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 | Figure 2: (a) Front view of customised face mask with landmarks. (b) Side view of customised face mask.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge Mrs. Manjeet Kaur for sewing and customising mask for us.
Financial support and sponsorship
RM Aesthetics provided material and logistics support.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
 References | |  |
| 1. | Kumar A, Sinha C, Kumar A, Kumari P, Mukul SK. Ultrasound-guided trigeminal nerve block and its comparison with conventional analgesics in patients undergoing faciomaxillary surgery: Randomised control trial. Indian J Anaesth 2018;62:871-5.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
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[Figure 1], [Figure 2]
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