Many of the laceration repair and procedural techniques discussed on this site require use of regional anesthesia techniques. This tab is a guide to performing some of these injection techniques.
Blocks
Field Block of the Ear
The ear is a sensitive area. You’ll want to anesthetize it well before any painful procedure. This includes laceration repair, incision and drainage, or treatment of auricular hematoma. Direct local injection of a laceration on the ear itself can distend margins near the cartilage, making approximation all the more difficult. Alternatively, one might consider a nerve block.…
Mental Nerve Block
The mental nerve block is an excellent means of anesthetizing the lower lip & the lower face. It is relatively simple to learn and safe in that few vital structures pass nearby the area. It is not effective for lacerations that cross the angle of the mandible, so be weary of its use for chin…
Infraorbital Nerve Block
Infraorbital nerve block is an elegant technique for achieving anesthesia of the mid face region for laceration repair. The infraorbital nerve is a branch of the maxillary nerve (Trigeminal V2) which enters the face through the infraorbital canal. This point of exit is the target for an effective block. I especially like this one for…
Digital Blocks
When it comes to regional anesthesia, digital block can be one of the most satisfying (or frustrating) techniques out there. When done well, it renders the patient completely pain-free for the duration of a potentially pretty excruciating procedure–whether it be a simple finger laceration repair, a meticulous nail bed exploration, or even reduction of a fractured or dislocated…
The Ophthalmic (V1) Nerve Block
Next up in our discussion on facial nerve blocks–following previous posts on how to anesthetize the mid-face with the infraorbital nerve block and how to anesthetize the lower face with the mental nerve block–is this discussion on the ophthalmic nerve block. I believe this is the hardest to master among the facial nerve blocks. It…