Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia in pediatric patients

Abstract

The use of regional anesthesia techniques as part of the overall anesthesia and pain management program in pediatric patients has gained widespread popularity in recent years. However, this increased use of regional anesthesia techniques in children may have led to the production/detection of an increased number of block failures and/or complications which could possibly be directly related to how the block was performed. Most pediatric regional blocks are performed under general anesthesia/heavy sedation where signs of block failure or complications cannot be immediately recognized or detected. Ultrasound equipment is readily available in most hospitals and clinics and the use of this painless noninvasive diagnostic tool is widespread in most areas of clinical medicine. This is especially true in pediatrics. However, anesthesiologists have only recently begun to be use this equipment to facilitate the placement of regional anesthetic blocks. The first descriptions of the use of ultrasound to facilitate the performance of regional anesthesia blocks have all involved adult patients. Information about its use in children is very limited. This article, to the best of our knowledge, deals with the first experiences in the world in performing ultrasound-guided regional anesthetic blocks in pediatric patients and clearly demonstrates the advantages of using this painless noninvasive modality to rapidly identify, locate, and block peripheral nerves in children.