Abstract
Trauma is a significant cause of hospital presentations and admissions in the UK,
comprising a diverse selection of patients with differing analgesic needs and levels
of comorbidity. Pain from the initial injury and subsequent treatments such as closed
reductions and surgery is often severe and can lead to discomfort, difficulty in nursing
care physiotherapy, and unwanted admissions. Regional anaesthesia is perfectly placed
to provide an individualized analgesic strategy for each trauma patient that gives
significant pain relief, and reduces reliance on opiate medications which have a significant
side-effect profile especially in the increasingly elderly population presenting to
hospitals with trauma. This article explores the advantages and drawbacks of regional
anaesthesia in trauma, and summarizes the specific patient considerations in some
of the more common injuries that present to hospitals in the UK. We also look to the
future with newer innovations and novel devices coming into more frequent use and
how they may be used to benefit the trauma patient.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 19, 2022
Royal College of Anaesthetists CPD Skills Framework: PainIdentification
Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
