Regional Anesthesia

Pain is first transmitted from the point where it enters the body to the brain through nerves. Only in the brain does the sensation of pain develop. If the pain is not passed on by the nerves to the brain, the person does not feel any pain.

This can be used in regional anesthesia. As the name suggests, not the whole body is anaesthetized, but only one region. If, for example, a surgical intervention on the arm is imminent, a brachial plexus anaesthesia can be performed.

This is a nerve plexus in which all nerves supplying the arm are located. This nerve plexus can now be anaesthetized. After the plexus is seen in the ultrasound, a catheter is inserted and a local anesthetic and an opiate is injected in such a way that it flows around the nerve and numbs it.

Regional anesthesia can also be used for operations on the chest, abdomen and legs, but in this case it is administered into the spinal canal. The height of the spinal cord can be used to block certain areas. Regional anesthesia is usually applied before the operation, so that there is no pain during the procedure.

After the operation, painkillers can still be injected through a catheter. Regional anesthesia has many advantages during and after an operation. For example, fewer anaesthetic drugs are required overall.

Furthermore, it was shown that pain therapy with regional anesthesia generally leads to fewer complications, such as pneumonia. Another major advantage of this method is that the opiates only act directly on the nerve. This avoids the typical side effects of this group of drugs such as constipation, nausea and fatigue. Often patients who have been treated with regional anesthesia can get up faster after an operation and start physiotherapy, so that the chances of a quick healing process are increased.

Patient controlled intravenous analgesia

If the normal drug-based pain therapy is not sufficient to relieve the pain, a “patient-controlled intravenous analgesia”, also known as PCA pump or pain pump, can be performed. The basis of this therapy is a strongly effective opiate in low dosage, which is given via a venous access. However, the medication is administered through this venous access by means of a remote-controlled pump.

This means that if the patient feels pain, he or she can administer this painkiller to himself or herself via a remote control. To prevent overdosage, the maximum dose is programmed in advance. Minimum intervals between two doses are also set. In this way, the patient is completely independent of nursing staff and doctors and is able to administer painkillers to himself if necessary.