Nerveblock.org
A regional anaesthesia site for everyone.
Site in early development
Why use regional anaesthesia?
- Pain management with less systemic effect
- Faster recovery
- Lower risk of complications
- Reduced nausea and vomiting
- Improved post-op mobility
- Patient preferences
- Fewer postoperative cognitive effects
- Reduced risk for obese patients
- Increased patient satisfaction
Regional anesthesia numbs only the area being treated, which means fewer side effects and a lower risk of systemic complications compared to general anesthesia. This can reduce the need for sedation. egional anesthesia provides effective pain control during and immediately after the procedure, often reducing the need for strong opioids. Recovery times are faster, and facilitate Enhanced recovery after Surgery (ERAS)
Unlike general anesthesia, which can depress breathing and may require ventilation, regional anesthesia doesn't interfere with the respiratory system. With regional anesthesia, heart rate and blood pressure are generally more stable, which can be particularly important in patients with preexisting cardiovascular conditions. There is alower Incidence of Post-Operative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) and other opiate side effects.
Since patients may have less sedation and discomfort after regional anesthesia, they can start moving sooner, which can reduce the risk of complications like blood clots.
Some patients prefer to be awake during the surgery, either due to anxiety about being "out" completely or for personal reasons. Regional anesthesia allows for this. Many patients prefer regional anesthesia due to the smoother recovery, reduced side effects, and the ability to stay alert during surgery. This can lead to higher overall satisfaction with their surgical experience. In certain cases, patients may want to remain aware of their surroundings but without pain, which regional anesthesia facilitates.
Cognitive Preservation: Especially in elderly patients, regional anesthesia may be preferable because it avoids the cognitive decline and confusion that can sometimes result from general anesthesia. Regional anesthesia is often safer for obese patients as it bypasses the issues of airway management and ventilatory support that are more challenging in this population.
What prevents more uptake of Regional Anaesthesia?
Learning Regional Anaesthesia can be difficult. Since the uptake of Ultrasound the are many more blocks for an ever wider range of indications. Keeping up to date can be difficult. Exposure to sufficient training in regional anaesthesia during training.
In an editorial in Anaesthesia1 These issued were addressed and the concept of Plan-A blocks was developed. These are some reliable, easy to learn, and widely applicable blocks. These are recommended as a standard set of blocks, that should form the backbone of regional anaesthesia training. They promote consistent practice, enhance patient safety, and improve outcomes.
Why make this site?
We wanted to make a resource that could be used by anyone to get some regional anaesthesia blocks working. It might help established anaesthetists, who traineed before ultrasound use was common. It might help trainees learn the blocks they will need for exams. It might help ED doctors give pain relief to their patients. There are books and apps that will have more detail, but we wanted to put out something that was free and enough to get more regional anaesthesia techniques being performed.
1 Turbitt, L.R., Mariano, E.R. and El-Boghdadly, K. (2020), Future directions in regional anaesthesia: not just for the cognoscenti. Anaesthesia, 75: 293-297. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.14768