Ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block improves the success rate in patients with radial club hands when compared with nerve stimulation in patients undergoing radial club hand correction.

Ultrasonography significantly increases the success rate of sciatic and femoral block in arthrogryposis.

Paediatric regional anaesthesia today is one of the fastest growing and exciting aspects of paediatric anaesthesia, which requires an ongoing fervour to learn. Application of paediatric regional anaesthesia in neonates, infants, toddlers and children is undertaken to treat perioperative pain without disturbing the physiological milieu with additional advantages elaborated in the review. The available choices, traditional methods and the most recently described methods are discussed with emphasis on their advantages and disadvantages. Clear pointers for selection of the blocks are also discussed. To present a holistic overview of this rapidly growing subject, a comprehensive literature search was performed in May 2019 in MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar to retrieve articles pertaining to all the above topics. The keywords used in various combinations included 'Central neuraxial, blocks, Paediatric(s)', 'Peripheral Nerve blocks', 'Safety, controversies, regional, anaesthesia'.

We conclude that in children, continuous sciatic catheters can be accurately and efficaciously placed with minimal equipment with ultrasound alone.

We conclude that catheters placed under ultrasound guidance are more accurate than the traditional method developed before the advent of ultrasound in young infants.

Success rate of ultrasound-guided sciatic nerve block remains unaltered irrespective of motor response to neurostimulation.

We report the use of continuous regional block with light general anaesthesia in epidermolysis bullosa simplex. A 4-year-old girl suffering from florid epidermolysis bullosa simplex was scheduled for external fixator (JESS) for manus valgus deformity of the left forearm. Haemoglobin was 7.6 g.dl(-1) and blood chemistry was normal. She had no history of oral bullae, although a younger sibling had died of Bart syndrome with oral lesions. She was sedated with nasal midazolam 0.5 mg.kg(-1). All pressure points were cushioned. Inhalational anaesthesia was given by holding a mask above her face. Only oximetry and capnography were monitored. ECG and noninvasive blood pressure monitoring were avoided. The intravenous cannula was fixed by sutures. An epidural catheter of 0.63 mm OD (21-G) was passed into the axilla for continuous axillary block. Intra- and postoperative course was uneventful with slight bullae at the i.v. site and at the fixator which healed without further damage. The axilla remained free of problems. Continuous peripheral plexus or nerve blocks can be an option in these difficult patients, and can minimize the amount of general anaesthesia along with problems of airway handling and potential subsequent mucosal lesions. The postoperative period was pain free and comfortable.

A modified technique for continuous infraclavicular brachial plexus block helps secure the catheter and provides effective intra- and postoperative pain relief in pediatric patients.