High-Utility Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Blocks for Emergency Department Use

Emergency physician-performed ultrasound-guided nerve blocks are becoming more commonplace as an integral component of multimodal analgesia. Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks (UGNBs) can be used to safely and effectively treat pain from commonly encountered pathologies or to facilitate procedures.

There is, currently, variability in the use of nerve blocks in emergency departments (ED) based on training, comfort, and resources; however, it is likely that this method of analgesia will continue to expand into ED practice. In this piece, we review the evidence for several high-utility nerve blocks that have been successfully used in the ED.

In this article, we specifically review the superficial cervical plexus block, interscalene brachial plexus nerve block, serratus anterior plane block, erector spinae plane block, pericapsular nerve block, and transgluteal sciatic nerve block.

UGNBs are increasingly being incorporated into ED patient care and becoming a critical tool as a part of an opioid reduction strategy. The group of UGNBs listed in this article represent a list of commonly performed blocks and should be considered when offering optimal multimodal analgesia to the acutely injured patient.