Cahiers d'anesthésiologie
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Cahiers d'anesthésiologie · Jan 1990
Review[Peripheral neurologic complications of brachial plexus blocks].
Nerve injury can arise as a complication of peripheral nerve block anesthesia. From the review of the literature remain three factors which alone or in combination, are of special etiologic interest: nerve lesion due to the needle or intraneural injection; toxic effects of the agent injected overall when epinephrine is used; ischemic trauma. ⋯ These postanesthetic neuropathies may benefit from specific treatment or even surgical exploration and external neurolysis. The block should be handled with care: rough paresthesia seeking and intraneural injections should be avoided; short bevel needles and plane solutions should be preferred.