No abstract

Rebound pain after regional anesthesia can be defined as transient acute postoperative pain that ensues following resolution of sensory blockade, and is clinically significant, either with regard to the intensity of pain or the impact on psychological well-being, quality of recovery, and activities of daily living. Current evidence suggests that it represents an unmasking of the expected nociceptive response in the absence of adequate systemic analgesia, rather than an exaggerated hyperalgesic phenomenon induced by local anesthetic neural blockade. In the majority of patients, it does not appear to significantly impact cumulative postoperative opioid consumption, quality of recovery, or patient satisfaction, and is not associated with longer-term sequelae such as persistent post-surgical pain. Nevertheless, it must be considered whenever regional anesthesia is incorporated into perioperative management. Strategies to mitigate the impact of rebound pain include routine prescribing of a systemic multimodal analgesic regimen, as well as patient education on appropriate expectations regarding block offset and expected surgical pain, and timely initiation of analgesic medication. Prolonging the duration of action of regional anesthesia with continuous catheter techniques or local anesthetic adjuncts may also help alleviate rebound pain, although further research is required to confirm this.

Purpose of review Given that COVID-19 can severely impair lung function, regional anesthesia techniques avoiding phrenic nerve paralysis are relevant in the anesthetic management of suspected/confirmed COVID-19 patients requiring shoulder and clavicle surgical procedures. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of recently published studies examining ultrasound-guided diaphragm-sparing regional anesthesia techniques for the brachial plexus (BP) to favor their preferent use in patients at risk of respiratory function compromise. Recent findings In the last 18 months, study findings on various diaphragm-sparing regional anesthesia techniques have demonstrated comparable block analgesic effectivity with a variable extent of phrenic nerve paralysis. The impact of hemi-diaphragmatic function impairment on clinical outcomes is yet to be established. Summary Existing diaphragm-sparing brachial plexus regional anesthesia techniques used for shoulder and clavicle surgery may help minimize pulmonary complications by preserving lung function, especially in patients prone to respiratory compromise. Used as an anesthetic technique, they can reduce the risk of exposure of healthcare teams to aerosol-generating medical procedures (AGMPs), albeit posing an increased risk for hemi-diaphragmatic paralysis. Reducing the incidence of phrenic nerve involvement and obtaining opioid-sparing analgesia without jeopardizing efficacy should be prioritized goals of regional anesthesia practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.