Brachial plexus nerve blocks are performed to treat patients with chronic pain referable to the brachial plexus. The needle insertion and trajectory are based on palpation of surface landmarks. Occasionally, the surface landmarks are difficult to identify owing to body habitus or anatomic alterations secondary to surgery or radiation therapy. The intent of this manuscript is to describe a techn...

BACKGROUND Multiple needle attempts to gain a muscle twitch or a paresthesia for a classical supraclavicular brachial plexus block can increase the risks of nerve damage or pain. The aims of this study were to obtain reliable clinical data on ultrasound-guided supraclavicular blocks, demonstrate the higher success rate and fewer complications, and design an injection method for patients whose b...

OBJECTIVE To compare parascalene approach of brachial plexus block with the classical subclavian perivascular approach as a sole anaesthetic technique in children undergoing closed manipulation for fracture/dislocation around the elbow. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty children (age 6-13 years) undergoing closed manipulation for fracture/dislocation around the elbow were randomly assigned to two g...

Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks facilitate ambulatory anesthesia for upper limb surgeries. Unilateral phrenic nerve blockade is a common complication after interscalene brachial plexus block, rather than the supraclavicular block. We report a case of severe respiratory distress and bilateral bronchospasm following ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block. Patient did no...

Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block using 1% and 2% lidocaine in 21 procedures is reported. Average procedure time was 5.1 minutes (± 1.2 min; range, 2-8 min). Average time of onset and duration were 4.8 minutes (± 3.7 min; range, 0-10 min) and 77.9 minutes (± 26.7 min; range, 44-133 min), respectively, for sensory block and 8.4 minutes (± 5.7 min; range, 3-23 min) and 99 mi...

Continuous brachial plexus nerve block catheters are commonly inserted for postoperative analgesia after upper extremity surgery. Modifications of the insertion technique have been described to improve the safety of placing an infraclavicular brachial plexus catheter. Rarely, these catheters may become damaged or entrapped, complicating their removal. We describe a case of infraclavicular brach...

Background. Distal arm surgery is widely performed under regional anesthesia with brachial plexus block. The preponderance of evidence for the efficacy relies upon injection of local anesthetic in excess of 30 mL. We aimed to compare three different ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block techniques restricting the total volume to 20 mL. Methods. 120 patients were prospectively randomized to ul...

Objective To study the success rate and complication of brachial plexus block in Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Thailand. Methods The anesthetic data of brachial plexus block performed for operations on the upper extremity in the Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, from January 2004 to December 2005, were reviewed and analyzed for success rate and comp...

BACKGROUND Current techniques of brachial plexus block are "blind," and nerve localization can be frustrating and time consuming. Previous studies on ultrasound-assisted brachial plexus blocks are mostly performed with scanning probes of 10 MHz or less. The authors tested the usefulness of a state-of-the-art, high-resolution ultrasound probe (up to 12 MHz) in identifying the brachial plexus in ...

Neoplastic brachial plexopathy (NBP) is caused by a cancerous infiltration into the brachial plexus, presenting often as severe pain in the affected upper extremity. Such pain can be resistant to medical treatment. Invasive interventions such as brachial plexus neurolysis with phenol or cordotomy may result in severe complications including permanent neurological damage and death. Continuous br...