Peripheral nerve blocks for extremity surgery

Abstract

The advantages of peripheral nerve blocks have almost no effect on vital function and no risk of the potential complications related to general anaesthesia as airway problems, postoperative sorethroat, nausea-vomiting, and neuoraxial anaesthesia as urinary retention, postspinal headache and spinal hematoma. The factors which limits the use of peripheral nerve blocks are to be time consuming, usually requirement of blockade of more than one nerve, unpredictability of exact success and the concerns regarding nerve injury. Recently, importance of the limiting factors has been considerably decreased because of the availability of an extra room near the operating theatre wich might be used for block procedures, proper needle and local anesthetics, application of correct technique such as use of stimulator, multiple injection and guidance of imaging methods when required. In this article, novel techniques of peripheral nerve blocks which might be used for different surgical procedures of upper and lower extremity have been reviewed.