BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Concern for block-related injury and liability has dissuaded many anesthesiologists from using regional anesthesia for eye and extremity surgery, despite many studies demonstrating the benefits of regional over general anesthesia. To determine injury patterns and liability associated with eye and peripheral nerve blocks, we re-examined the American Society of Anesthesi...

BACKGROUND Regional anaesthesia is widely used and has been considered to pose few risks once the block is established. However, life threatening problems can occur both during the establishment and maintenance phases of a regional block which require prompt recognition and management. OBJECTIVES To examine the role of a previously described core algorithm "COVER ABCD-A SWIFT CHECK", suppleme...

The transversus abdominis plane block is a regional anesthesia technique that has become popular. Being a relatively simple procedure, the TAP block has an excellent safety profile and major complications are rare. We present a case of transient femoral nerve palsy occurring after a TAP block with involvement of the sacral plexus for a patient who had undergone a caesarean section.

Editor—We report the anaesthetic management of a patient with severe pulmonary fibrosis for laparoscopic cholecystectomy using a Supreme laryngeal mask airway (SLMA). A 50-yr-old, 70 kg male was undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. The patient had severe pulmonary fibrosis due to occupational (stone and dust) exposure requiring oxygen therapy at home (Fig. 1...

BACKGROUND Recurrent complex regional pain syndrome I is not rare in the pediatric population. The authors conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy of continuous peripheral nerve blocks with elastomeric disposable pumps associated with initial Bier blocks for the treatment of recurrent complex regional pain syndrome I in children. METHODS After parental informed consent, 13 children who ...

The regional distribution of a bolus of gas inhaled at residual volume (RV) is attributed to regional airway closure and is responsible for the phase IV of the single-breath washout during the following deflation. As bronchospasm increases the range of airway opening pressures through the lung, the regional distribution of the bolus could change with effects on the shape of the single-breath wa...

BACKGROUND Use of ultrasound by anaesthesiologists performing regional blocks is rapidly gaining popularity. The aims of this review were to summarize and update accumulating evidence on ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, with an emphasis on the clinical relevance of the results and to critically appraise changing standards in regional anaesthesia. METHODS A search of MEDLINE and EMBASE (1966 to...

BACKGROUND Anesthesia management for patients with severe ankylosing spondylitis scheduled for total hip arthroplasty is challenging due to a potential difficult airway and difficult neuraxial block. We report 4 cases with ankylosing spondylitis successfully managed with a combination of lumbar plexus, sacral plexus and T12 paravertebral block. CASE PRESENTATION Four patients were scheduled f...

Many variations to the axillary approach to the brachial plexus have been described. However, the success rate varies depending on the approach used and on the definition of success. Recent work describes a new approach to regional anaesthesia of the upper limb at the humeral/brachial canal using selective stimulation of the major nerves. This report outlines initial experience with this block,...