TECHNICAL NOTES   

Minerva Chirurgica 1999 November;54(11):831

Copyright © 1999 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Techniques of peripheral anaesthesia in surgery of the upper extremity

Martinotti R. ¹, Berlanda P. ², Zanlungo M. ², Soldini A. ²

¹ Ospedale Civile di Voghera, USSL 44, Servizio di Anestesia e Rianimazione; ² Ospedale Civile di Voghera, USSL 44, Divisione di Ortopedia e Traumatologia

Background. This report deals with the techniques of peripheral anaesthesia used by the Authors for surgical treatment of lesions of the upper extremity.
Methods. Plexus brachial block anaesthesia using a supraclavicular approach was performed for arm, forearm and hand surgery, axillary block anaesthesia for forearm and hand surgery, while block anaesthesia was employed for wrist and hand injuries. Local anaesthetics as Bupivacaine 0.5% and Mepivacaine 2% without Epinephrine were used.
Results. In 95% of the cases the results were satisfactory, in 5% (not cooperating and young patients, long operations, incomplete block anaesthesia) it was necessary to perform a general anaesthesia.
Conclusions. Surgeons and patients well accepted these techniques of anaesthesia because of: less bleeding during the operation, easy surgical performance, high percents of success in reimplantations, absence of side effects due to narcosis, better recovery of psycho-physical conditions and long lasting postoperative analgesia.