The incorporation of regional anesthesia into a multimodal opioid-reducing pain management plan following thoracic and abdominal surgery is becoming commonplace. However, effective perioperative pain management is dependent on determining the correct regional anesthesia technique for the proposed surgery. After comparing the mechanism of action, sonoanatomy, procedural technique, local anesthetic dosing, as well as risks and complications of common truncal blocks, a review of the current literature comparing truncal techniques will determine if certain blocks are better suited to specific surgeries.
Learning Objectives:
State the proposed mechanism of action, sonoanatomy, procedural technique, local anesthetic dosing, and risks and complications.
List the common local anesthetic dosing regimens.
Determine the optimal block for a specific surgery based on a review of the current literature.
