TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Regional Anesthesia: Head and Neck Blocks A1 - Bosenberg, Adrian T. A1 - Kandiah, Nishanthi A2 - Ellinas, Herodotos A2 - Matthes, Kai A2 - Alrayashi, Walid A2 - Bilge, Aykut Y1 - 2021 N1 - T2 - Clinical Pediatric Anesthesiology AB - FOCUS POINTSHand and neck blocks can be used to relieve pain and supplement general anesthesia in infants and children undergoing head and neck surgery.1,2 Block selection depends on the surgical approach. Most anesthesiologists have limited opportunity to perform these blocks since major surgery of the face and neck is relatively uncommon and local infiltration is often used for most minor procedures.3,4Local infiltration provides a circumscribed area of anesthesia in the immediate vicinity of injection and large volumes of local anesthetic may be required. A nerve block on the other hand provides a larger area of anesthesia for a relatively small volume of local anesthetic.Most children have an inherent fear of needles, particularly around the facial area. This precludes its use in young children (and in some older children!) without sedation or general anesthesia.The anatomical landmarks are relatively constant in adults but structural changes that occur during growth of a child results in some variability. A thorough understanding of the anatomical relationship of the nerve to be blocked is essential since the anatomy of the head and neck is compact and the cranial and cervical nerves are close to vital structures. Inadvertent injection into these blood vessels carries a significant risk of toxicity. SN - PB - McGraw Hill CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/24 UR - accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1176459316 ER -