Intravenous Regional Anesthesia: A Localized Technique for Pain Relief
What is intravenous regional anesthesia?
a) Local anesthesia applied to a specific body region
b) Intravenous administration of painkillers
c) Spinal anesthesia via an intravenous route
d) General anesthesia applied regionally
Final answer: Intravenous regional anesthesia
Answer:
Intravenous regional anesthesia, or Bier's block, is a localized anesthesia technique used for surgeries on the limbs. It involves injecting a local anesthetic into a vein after blood removal and confining it to the area with a tourniquet, providing numbing effects to that particular region.
Intravenous regional anesthesia, also known as Bier's block, is a local anesthesia technique used for surgical procedures on the limbs. It is not an intravenous administration of painkillers or spinal anesthesia via an intravenous route. Nor is it general anesthesia applied regionally. In this process, a local anesthetic is injected into a vein after exsanguination (removal of blood), and it is confined to the target limb with a tourniquet, providing anesthesia to that specific region.
The local anesthetic numbs the nerves controlling sensation and movement in the targeted body part, providing pain relief during and in some cases, after surgery. However, this technique is mostly used for a short duration because of potential tourniquet pain over time.