Pocketbook on Regional Anesthesia Techniques: Each Line Matters

Abstract

Dear editor, There has been an ardent interest noticed in the last decade amongst members of anaesthesia fraternity to learn the art of regional anaesthesia (RA). Use of ultrasound (US) has revolutionised the practice of RA all over the world. Every month there is a description of either a new block or a modification of an existing block. Although this keeps RA enthusiasts occupied with various experiments and thus reinventing his/her skills, it also adds to the confusion. The US workshops are useful to Anaesthesiologist’s who have access to the US. Practitioners in the periphery especially freelancers and Anaesthesiologists working in small, resource-limited setups are the ones who should be skillful in landmark/ loss of resistance (LOR) and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) guided RA techniques. Anatomy, landmarks, and techniques are equally important [1]. RA that is usually taught in medical colleges and teaching institutes to postgraduate students are spinal/epidural anaesthesia, few upper limb blocks (supraclavicular/axillary), and few lower limb blocks (femoral/sciatic/popliteal). The students do not get adequate confidence during training and later either have to attend workshops or become faculty in some teaching institutes to master RA skills. The relationship between nerve and needle tip at the moment of injection is critical. Nerve localisation techniques have evolved over the years [2]. There are workshops conducted all over the globe that teach US and PNS-guided RA techniques. However, it has been observed that the participants are mostly not actively practicing hands-on during such sessions. An illustrated pocketbook showing images, key points, and relevant landmarks of the regularly performed RA techniques were therefore long-awaited. Finally, three RA enthusiasts from India: Dr. Santosh Kumar Sharma, Dr. Tuhin Mistry, and Dr. Kala Eshwaran have compiled a book in which they have described LOR-based and PNS-guided techniques using illustrated and sel