Abstract

Background: Perfect pain management is one of the most essential problems in anesthesia. Intravenous block is
considered a simple anesthetic method to reduce extremity pain. This study is aimed to determine the effect of
proximal injection compared with distal injections to avoid the problems related to be in the vicinity of the
surgical field and making use of the larger proximal veins instead of the tiny distal vessels.
Methods: In this randomized double blind clinical trial, the patients with traumatic injuries of upper extremities
referred to Rajaie Hospital from October 2003 to February 2004 were studied. The cases were divided blindly in
to two groups. In one group injections were performed proximally and for the second group distally.
Results: This study was based on the data from 100 serial patients. The average time to achieve analgesia was
4.17 + 0.57 minutes for the patients who received distal injections and for the cases that had proximal injection
the mean time for analgesia was 5.19 + 0.55. There was no difference in the rate of haematoma formation
between the two groups.
Conclusions: In intravenous nerve block, the injection of local anesthetic agents in the proximal parts of the
limbs is a safe method and is considered as effective as distal injections.

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