Avoiding nerve damage
during peripheral nerve blocks
Ultrasound-guided localisation of peripheral nerves and the associated real-time visualisation
provide crucial benefi ts in regional anaesthesia. Nonetheless, it is clear that this does
not reduce the incidence of permanent nerve damage. Even in combination with nerve
stimulation, intrafascicular injections cannot be ruled out. The causes include incorrect
positioning of the cannula along with exceeding critical injection pressures, as the
following explanations show.
