Future Trends in Regional Anesthesia Techniques

Regional anesthesia is a rapidly expanding field within the practice of anesthesiology. The use of peripheral nerve blocks in routine anesthesia care has increased as evidence for better analgesia, and decreased opioid consumption has supported this practice. This chapter highlights several cutting-edge trends within the arena of regional anesthesia. Fascial plane blocks involve the deposition of local anesthetic between fascial planes without targeting a specific nerve; this chapter discusses several new plane blocks, including quadratus lumborum, pectoral, serratus, and erector spinae plane blocks. Furthermore, the advent of ultrasound has allowed visualization of nearby structures and performance of blocks that otherwise may have too low of a safety margin without visualization. This chapter will discuss some of these blocks, such as parasternal and IPACK (interspace between the popliteal artery and capsule of the posterior knee) blocks. Finally, the chapter will summarize evidence behind the use of long-acting local anesthetic drugs as well as innovative ergonomics as a means to improve our work processes.