Regional anaesthesia is very effective in alleviating pain due to trauma, and is also used to provide anaesthesia for trauma surgery. It has the advantage of producing localized but complete pain relief, whilst avoiding the side effects of systemic analgesics or anaesthetics. However, regional anaesthetic drugs and techniques have potentially life-threatening complications, which the practitioner must be able to manage. This article discusses the use of regional anaesthesia, and the benefits and disadvantages of specific regional techniques in various traumatic conditions.
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