Regional anaesthesia for upper limb trauma: a review

Trauma to the upper limb is extremely common. Many of these patients present for surgery and anaesthesia as an emergency case, often complicated by other injuries and requiring effective perioperative analgesia. Although the use of regional anaesthesia for elective upper limb surgery has greatly increased, there is a lack of readily available information on the use and potential benefits of regional anaesthesia, as well as the choice of block for upper limb trauma. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of regional anaesthesia for both anaesthesia and analgesia in the management of upper limb trauma. The review will also focus on the use of regional anaesthesia for paediatric patients with upper limb trauma, the choice of anaesthetic technique, acute compartment syndrome and upper limb blockade and the use of intravenous regional anaesthesia.