Complications in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

Abstract

Complications in regional anaesthesia and pain medicine are relatively rare events with a possible range from mild (e.g. mild haemodynamic alterations after spinal anaesthesia) to severe (e.g. nerve injury after peripheral nerve block) to catastrophic (e.g. paraplegia after neuraxial block). The literature provides us with heterogenic results and in fact every single regional anaesthetic technique has to be performed with maximal attention. A book which is highly focused on complications in regional anaesthesia and invasive pain techniques is therefore more than useful. The present second edition of Complications in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, edited by Joseph M. Neal and James P. Rathmell, is such a highly focused book. It clearly distinguishes between regional anaesthesia and pain medicine and therefore provides for the clinical fact that regional blocks for regional anaesthesia and pain purposes are different. A third section discusses medicolegal perspectives. A large number of well-known scientists and authors contributed to 38 chapters, which are all well written and designed. The book deals with all aspects of regional anaesthetic blocks and provides fundamental knowledge regarding anatomy, block mechanism, and regional anaesthetic techniques. The parts of the book dealing with prevention of complications in regional anaesthesia are also extremely useful. Every particular chapter is accompanied by a part dealing with prevention. These parts could be identified as the final common path of the chapters and as guidelines to avoid complications. In summary, the second edition of Complications in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is a useful guideline for all anaesthetists and pain specialists performing regional anaesthetic blocks in the daily clinical practice. It fills the gap between standard textbooks in the field of regional anaesthetic and pain blocks and the medicolegal consequences of these invasive techniques. This book is highly recommended for all practitioners who intend to increase the margin of safety of their daily clinical practice.