Ultrasound-guided femoral and sciatic nerve blocks

Abstract

Effective and prolonged analgesia for major lower limb surgery can be achieved with lower limb blocks and perineural catheter infusions. Accurate needle placement and drug delivery is the key to achieving success with nerve blocks. The use of ultrasound may facilitate more rapid block onset 2 and prolong block duration, with the added advantages of a decrease in drug dosage and a reduction in the incidence of local anaesthetic toxicity. 5 Reduction in procedural pain and better patient satisfaction has also been demonstrated with ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic nerve block. Nevertheless, with new technologies such as ultrasound, it is important to retain the overriding principles common to all regional anaesthetic techniques.