Safety considerations in peripheral nerve blocks (February 2024)

Summary

Peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) are safe and effective alternatives or supplements to general anaesthesia. They may improve pain control both during and after surgery, thus avoiding many of the side effects of systemic opioids. PNBs may also lead to improved patient satisfaction, decreased resource utilization, and may be better for the environment by decreasing usage of aesthetic gases and other medications.

With the growing use of peripheral nerve blocks in the United States, this paper examines safety issues surrounding the procedures. It examines the safety of nerve blocks as it relates to:

• nerve injury
• recognition and treatment of local anaesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST)
• appropriate health care professional performance of timeouts to avoid wrong-site blocks.

Content