Superior Trunk Block Catheter and 2% Chloroprocaine as a Phrenic Sparing Approach for Awake Arthroscopic Acromioclavicular Joint Surgery: A Case Report

Cureus. 2024 Mar 7;16(3):e55761. doi: 10.7759/cureus.55761. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Regional anaesthesia for shoulder surgery remains challenging in patients with pre-existing respiratory comorbidities. Various alternative phrenic sparing techniques have been described in the literature, but to our knowledge, none have explored the benefits of using short-acting local anaesthetics in combination to achieve surgical anaesthesia for awake surgery. This case report describes the successful use of the superior trunk block catheter, a relative phrenic sparing shoulder nerve block, and 2% chloroprocaine, a short-acting local anaesthetic, to provide surgical anaesthesia for awake shoulder surgery in a patient with severe respiratory disease.

Keywords: arthroscopic shoulder surgery; awake patient surgery; local anaesthetic; superior trunk block; ultrasound guide regional anaesthesia.

Publication types

  • Case Reports