Papers of the Week

Interscalene nerve block is commonly used for shoulder surgery for anesthesia and postoperative analgesiaUnfortunately, interscalene blocks commonly result in hemidiaphragmatic paralysis WHAT THIS ARTICLE TELLS US THAT IS NEW: When interscalene block was compared with superior trunk block, less frequent hemidiaphragmatic paralysis was seen in the superior trunk block groupSuperior trunk block was noninferior to interscalene block in terms of pain scores for up to 24 h postoperatively, and superior trunk block patients were no less satisfied BACKGROUND:: Interscalene brachial plexus block of the C5-C6 roots provides highly effective postoperative analgesia after shoulder surgery but usually results in hemidiaphragmatic paresis. Injection around the superior trunk of the brachial plexus is an alternative technique that may reduce this risk. The authors hypothesized that the superior trunk block would provide noninferior postoperative analgesia compared with the interscalene block and reduce hemidiaphragmatic paresis.