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Complications of Regional Anesthesia pp 301–332Cite as

Complications of Regional Anesthesia in Chronic Pain Therapy

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Abstract

Interest in interventional pain management is on the rise, as indicated by an increased enrollment into the anesthesiology pain fellowship programs in North America.1 The prevalence of treatment-related complications has also increased, as suggested in a recent Closed Claims study.2 In this chapter, we discuss sympathetic, visceral, and somatic blocks frequently used in the management of chronic pain. To understand how complications arise, it is necessary to review the anatomy and techniques of the blocks, which can be used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. It is also important to understand some of the unique drugs used in this setting (e.g., neurolytic agents and corticosteroids). In general, procedure-related damage can result from needle insertion, misplacement or unanticipated spread of the drug, drug toxicity, injection of the wrong substance, or from an idiosyncratic reaction. Postblock physiologic changes may also add to complications.

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  1. Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Philip W. H. Peng MBBS, FRCPC (Assistant Professor) & Vincent W. S. Chan MD, FRCPC (Professor)

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  2. Vincent W. S. Chan MD, FRCPC
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  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G3, Canada

    Brendan T. Finucane MB, BCh, BAO, FRCA, FRCPC (Professor) (Professor)

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Peng, P.W.H., Chan, V.W.S. (2007). Complications of Regional Anesthesia in Chronic Pain Therapy. In: Finucane, B.T. (eds) Complications of Regional Anesthesia. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68904-3_17

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