Anesthesia for Shoulder Surgery: A Review of the Interscalene Block and a Discussion of Regional vs. General Anesthesia

A review of the literature regarding anesthesia for shoulder surgery was performed. Current anesthetic techniques available include regional, general, or a combination of regional and general. We discuss each of these techniques, with an emphasis on regional (specifically interscalene block), in detail. Current evidence supports both regional and general anesthesia to be safe and efficient techniques. The interscalene block is considered by most to provide the best surgical anesthesia and is the most commonly performed block for shoulder surgery. This paper aims to review the performance of the interscalene block and to discuss alternative choices for shoulder surgery, namely general anesthesia and a combined general/regional technique. We also aim to provide considerations to aid in the performance of a safely admin-