Efficacy of brachial plexus block in postoperative analgesia in trauma surgeries of the upper limb A single-center observational study.

Abstract

Introduction: Brachial plexus block provides multiple advantages in postoperative pain management for surgical procedures in inpatients and outpatients. The study's objective was to determine the effectiveness of brachial plexus block during postoperative pain management in patients undergoing upper limb trauma surgery.

Methods: Observational, non-experimental, descriptive study and qualitative approach carried out in the Traumatology Service of the Alcívar Clinic of the City of Guayaquil, Ecuador, from January-October 2022, including patients over 18 years of age undergoing trauma surgical procedure with analgesic brachial plexus block. Applying clinical records to obtain variables: age, sex, days of hospitalization, approach, visual analog pain scale, duration of postoperative analgesia, need or not for analgesic rescue, quality of analgesia, and patient satisfaction. The information collected was entered into a Microsoft Excel file and processed with the SPSS Statistical Program version 24, according to the proposed objectives.

Results: 100 cases were included. The highest frequency of individuals is male, with an average age of 36. The most commonly used access route was supraclavicular (43.0%). A hospitalization range of 1 to 3 days is described. In addition, a relationship is reported between the most frequent access route and hospital stay (X2: 0.000) and adjuvant treatment (X2: 0.000).

Conclusions: The brachial plexus block is suitable as an analgesic method for surgical intervention in upper limb injuries.