Regional anaesthesia for arthroscopic shoulder surgery

Abstract

The use of a local anesthetic technique as an element of combined pain management methods is advised. Studies on the efficacy of interscalene block for patients having shoulder surgeries, like rotator cuff repair, showed that interscalene block proved to be more effective. If an interscalene block cannot be performed, it is better to use an axillary nerve block, potentially along with a suprascapular nerve block, than to have no block or solely a suprascapular nerve block. A suprascapular nerve block has been found to decrease pain levels and/or reduce the need for opioid medication following surgery, although it does not appear to offer any significant pain relief benefits compared to an interscalene block.