Minimum anesthetic volume in regional anesthesia by using ultrasound-guidance

Abstract The ultrasound guidance in regional anesthesia ensures the visualization of needle placement and the spread of Local Anesthetics. Over the past few years there was a substantial interest in determining the Minimum Effec- tive Anesthetic Volume necessary to accomplish surgical anesthesia. The precise and real-time visualization of Local Anesthetics spread under ultrasound guidance block may represent the best requisite for reducing Local Anesthetics dose and Local Anesthetics-related effects. We will report a series of studies that have demonstrated the efficacy of ultrasound guid- ance blocks to reduce Local Anesthetics and obtain surgical anesthesia as compared to block performed under blind or electrical nerve stimulation technique. Unfortunately, the results of studies are widely divergent and not seem to indicate a dose considered effective, for each block, in a definitive way; but it is true that, through the use of ultrasound guidance, it is possible to reduce the dose of anesthetic in the performance of anesthetic blocks. © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.