Case Report: Ultrasound-Guided Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block for a Case with Posterior Elbow Dislocation

Publication date: Available online 23 June 2017
Source:The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Author(s): Sinan Akay, Sami Eksert, Murtaza Kaya, Kenan Keklikci, Ali Kantemir
BackgroundThe interest in regional anesthesia procedures for the management of upper-extremity emergencies has increased. Toward that end, supraclavicular, interscalene, or infraclavicular approaches, with or without ultrasound guidance, are used for brachial plexus nerve blocks. Although many studies have reported on the use of ultrasound-guided supraclavicular and interscalene brachial plexus blocks for upper-extremity dislocations, very few studies have reported on the use of ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus blocks.Case ReportWe present an adult patient with posterior elbow dislocation that is treated with reduction after applying an ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block. Additionally, we describe the infraclavicular block in detail and demonstrate the technique using images.Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?Based on our experience, the ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block is a fast, safe, and efficient anesthesia technique that can be an excellent alternative to sedoanalgesia and other brachial plexus blocks for the management of elbow dislocations in the emergency department.



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