The role of interscalene brachial plexus block anaesthesia in arthroscopic shoulder surgery; a prospective study

Abstract

The choice of anaesthetic in shoulder surgery is an evolving field of research which has important implications for patient outcomes. We have performed a prospective study to assess the usability of an interscalene brachial plexus block (ISBPB) with sedation as the primary anaesthetic and analgesic for arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Our study assessed the requirements of analgesia peri-operatively and post operatively and found that patients had no requirement (n ¼ 30) and minimal requirements with a low pain score (visual analogue score; mean 2.4, range 2e5) respectively. We also found that patients spent a short amount of time in recovery (31 min mean, range 21e48 min) and were able to be discharged on the same day. Our findings suggest that ISBPB with sedation is a viable option in arthroscopic shoulder surgery for a variety of procedures with positive effects for patient outcomes and mobility.

Opioid-Sparing Analgesic Effects from Interscalene Block Impact Anesthetic Management During Shoulder Arthroscopy: A Retrospective Observational Study

“…Interscalene nerve block (ISB) has been commonly used to alleviate postoperative pain and provide optimal analgesia during shoulder arthroscopy. 3 , 4 Ultrasound-guided interscalene nerve block (UISB) can reduce opioid-related adverse effects such as pruritus, nausea, vomiting, consciousness disturbance, and constipation. 5 , 6 On average, UISB can also reduce postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores for at least 8 h and decrease opioid use between 8 and 12 h. 7 In addition, regional anesthesia, such as peripheral nerve block or neuraxial anesthesia, which is an important component of multimodal analgesia, has been proven to reduce postoperative opioid consumption.…”