Regional Block Anaesthesia - How Effective is it for Extremity Trauma?

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Trauma Surgery
• Military Medicine

Background:

• General anesthesia (GA) is common in trauma surgery, often overshadowing regional block anesthesia (RBA) despite its benefits.
• RBA offers numerous advantages that are particularly relevant in resource-limited or battlefield settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and feasibility of RBA for isolated extremity trauma in a war scenario.
• To compare RBA outcomes against the standard use of GA in similar trauma cases.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 96 patients with extremity trauma (splinter, mine blast, gunshot wounds).
• Utilized supraclavicular/axillary brachial blocks for upper extremities and 3-in-1 femoral/sciatic blocks for lower extremities.
• Administered a combination of lignocaine and bupivacaine, monitoring hemodynamic parameters and oxygen saturation.

Main Results:

• 92.5% of cases achieved adequate motor and sensory anesthesia for surgery without supplementation.
• Postoperative pain relief averaged 4-5 hours.
• No significant hemodynamic derangements, systemic toxicity, local complications, or mortality were observed.

Conclusions:

• RBA is a simple, safe, and effective anesthetic technique for isolated extremity trauma in a war setting.
• RBA provides consistent results and a viable alternative to GA, even in austere environments.