Stellate ganglion blockade for analgesia following upper limb surgery
J G McDonnell1, O Finnerty, J G Laffey
1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland.
Abstract:
We report the successful use of a stellate ganglion block as part of a multi-modal postoperative analgesic regimen. Four patients scheduled for orthopaedic surgery following upper limb trauma underwent blockade of the stellate ganglion pre-operatively under ultrasound guidance. Patients reported excellent postoperative analgesia, with postoperative VAS pain scores between 0 and 2, and consumption of morphine in the first 24 h ranging from 0 to 14 mg. While these are preliminary findings, and must be confirmed in a clinical trial, they highlight the potential for stellate ganglion blockade to provide analgesia following major upper limb surgery.
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