Axillary brachial plexus block

The axillary brachial plexus block is the peripheral nerve block most used for upper limb surgery, due to its high rate of efficacy and low incidence of complications compared with other brachial plexus approaches. Single and multiple injection techniques were described but, in our opinion, the last one is the best choice for obtaining a complete block of all the terminal nerves at the axilla, because of its particular distribution around the axillary artery within the neurovascular sheath and out of it. Using the nerve-stimulation technique for identifying the nerve structures increases the efficacy and diminishes postoperative neurological complications such as neuropathy.

Keywords: Axillary block, Neurovascular sheath, Multiple injections, Nerve-stimulation, Postoperative analgesia, Neuropathy