Regional Anesthesia in the Emergency Room

Recent findings In the emergency department, patients may experience significant pain, and adequate analgesia is not always provided. Regional analgesia is effective and indicated for many trauma situations including hip fracture, reduction of shoulder dislocation, treatment of upper limb fractures and multiple rib fractures. Ultrasound guidance makes the performance of regional blocks more accessible and safer for use in the emergency department setting. For therapeutic procedures outside the operating room, regional anesthesia is possible for uterine artery embolization and for postoperative analgesia after implantation of cervical brachytherapy needles.