Regional anesthetic and analgesic techniques are increasingly recognized as valuable interventions outside of the traditional perioperative arena and elective surgical settings, including in critically ill and acute trauma patients.1,2 Despite a paucity of literature on the subject, this expansion of use makes intuitive sense, as the potential benefits of regional anesthesia and pain management may prove especially beneficial in the trauma population. In this context – the relative lack of central nervous system effects – regional techniques may have a positive impact on respiratory function, avoid cardiovascular derangements, facilitate the evaluation of a patient’s cognitive status, and perhaps even improve the ability of patients to tolerate bedside procedures and rehabilitative measures in this often tenuous patient population. Moreover, traditional, systemic analgesic management is often not sufficient to control often intense levels of pain associated with severe trauma.3
Barring contraindications and given availability of adequately trained personnel,...
