Posterior brachial plexus block with nerve stimulator and 0.5% ropivacaine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES There are several approaches to the brachial plexus depending on the experience of the anesthesiologist and the site of the surgery. Posterior brachial plexus block may be an alternative for shoulder, clavicle and proximal humerus surgery. This study aims at presenting the results of patients submitted to posterior brachial plexus block with 0.5% ropivacaine and the aid of nerve stimulator. METHODS Participated in this study 22 patients aged 17 to 76 years, physical status ASA I and II, scheduled for shoulder, clavicle and proximal humerus surgery, who were submitted to posterior brachial plexus block with the aid of a nerve stimulator starting at 1 mA. When adequate muscle contraction was obtained, the current was decreased to 0.5 mA. If the response persisted, 40 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine was injected. The following parameters were evaluated: block onset, analgesia and motor block duration, complications and side effects. RESULTS Blockade was effective in 20 out of 22 patients, mean onset time was 15.52 min, mean surgical duration was 1.61 h. Mean analgesia duration was 15.85 h and mean motor block duration was 11.16 h. There were no clinical signs or symptoms of toxic effects of local anesthetics and no patient presented side effects. CONCLUSIONS Posterior brachial plexus block with the aid of nerve stimulator provides effective anesthesia, is very comfortable for patients and easy to perform.