Introduction

Published on 27/02/2015 by admin

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Last modified 27/02/2015

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction

Within anesthetic practice, the role of regional anesthesia – including peripheral nerve block – has expanded greatly over the past two decades. In 1998, a national survey demonstrated that 87.8% of US anesthesiologists make use of regional techniques.¹ This widespread use arises in part from the widely held belief (to some extent evidence-based) that, at least in some settings, anesthetic techniques that avoid general anesthesia offer real advantages in terms of patient outcome.² For instance, Chelly and colleagues have demonstrated clearly that continuous femoral infusion of ropivacaine 0.2% in patients undergoing total knee replacement provides better postoperative analgesia than epidural or patient-controlled analgesia. Critically, this technique accelerated early functional recovery and was associated with decreased duration of hospital stay, postoperative blood loss, and incidence of serious postoperative complications.³

A second reason that accounts for the recent increase in peripheral nerve block practiced in developed countries is the greater proportion of surgical procedures carried out as ‘day cases’. Regional anesthesia plays a fundamental role in the future of day case or ambulatory anesthesia, both as an intrinsic component of the anesthetic technique and for effective postoperative analgesia.⁴ Currently, 60–70% of all surgical procedures performed in the USA are day cases. It is likely that peripheral nerve block, used appropriately in the ambulatory setting, decreases the time to discharge from hospital, improves patient satisfaction and postoperative analgesia, facilitates rehabilitation, and results in fewer complications than conventional analgesic techniques.

Third, the practice of peripheral nerve block has increased because of advances in technique, equipment, and our understanding of how and when it is indicated. These advances include the use of superior peripheral nerve stimulators and ultrasound for nerve localization and the use of indwelling catheters for ‘continuous’ techniques.

The content

This publication comprises a textbook, atlas, and practical guide to peripheral nerve block, which presents material as text and images, including video clips, magnetic resonance (MR) images, ultrasound images, still photographs, and line drawings. It is probably best regarded and used as an educational tool.

The textbook is in two parts. Part I covers the history, pharmacologic principles, and clinical applications of peripheral nerve blockade as well as the materials and equipment currently in use. It also covers training in peripheral nerve blockade. In Part II, each chapter addresses a single block and describes its specific indications, relevant anatomy (including surface anatomy), and how the procedure is performed. The anatomy is presented using photographs of cadaveric dissections and volunteers (for surface anatomy), MR images, ultrasound images, and sometimes line drawings. On the accompanying DVD-ROM, the anatomy and block technique are demonstrated using video clips; ‘live’ anatomy and spread of injectate are demonstrated using MR images. Chapters in Part II contain ‘clinical pearls’ intended to impart specific advice for improving success rates or avoiding problems. Associated with each chapter is a self-assessment section aimed at providing a means of evaluating both retention and comprehension of the information presented. This can be found at the associated website.

We have carefully selected the blocks for inclusion as those that are currently an established part of clinical anesthetic practice. We have attempted to describe those that will be of greatest interest and use to clinicians learning or practicing peripheral nerve blockade today. For instance, although parasacral, subgluteal, popliteal, and other approaches have been described for block of the sciatic nerve, we have opted to describe only the more widely practiced classic anterior and posterior approaches. We have also excluded central neuraxial blocks (spinal and epidural techniques) and pediatric peripheral nerve blocks.

The readership most likely to benefit

It is widely recognized that anesthetists are incompletely trained unless they are proficient in the performance of peripheral nerve block.⁵ Anesthetists comprise the single largest group of hospital doctors. Approximately 5% of all physicians in the USA practice anesthesia. In some countries, anesthesia is also practiced by nurse anesthetists.

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