title: Fast-track regional anaesthesia.
abstract: Regional anaesthesia plays an important role in day case surgery because it combines reliable effects with low risk and the possibility of local postoperative analgesia without systemic side-effects. Fast-track regional anaesthesia allows short-term postoperative surveillance or even bypassing the post-anaesthesia care unit. Peripheral nerve blocks provide long-lasting pain relief, and can accelerate timely discharge if a persisting motor block is accepted. Multiple peripheral nerve stimulation and injection techniques may help to realize differential blockades with a pronounced analgesic rather than a motor blocking effect. Nerve blocks with local anaesthetics in combination with alpha2-adrenoceptor agonists or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and short-acting parenteral opioids represent an effective multimodal concept for ambulatory surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Hamburg - Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. standl@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Standl
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Burmeister