Regional anaesthesia-induced peripheral nerve injury

Regional anaesthesia techniques have gained great popularity in recent years, as they provide excellent anaesthesia and analgesia for many surgical procedures. Many courses, workshops, multimedia materials and a wide access to high-end ultrasound devices have resulted in Polish anaesthesiologists eagerly performing various blockades. However, there is also a dark side to regional anaesthesia which should not be forgotten - complications. Although nerve injuries are considered to be multifactorial in nature and the vast majority of them are not due to regional anaesthesia, anaesthesiologists and anaesthetised patients must be aware of the risk involved. Due to the potentially devastating sequelae of regional blocks, updating one's knowledge of this topic is very much necessary. The aim of this review is to summarise current knowledge concerning regional anaesthesia-induced peripheral nerve injury.