Hadzic's Regional Anesthesia > Part II. Foundations of Regional Anesthesia > Section Two. Pharmacology > Chapter 9. Analgesic Adjuvants in the Peripheral Nervous System Colin J. L. McCartney, MD

Analgesic Adjuvants in the Peripheral Nervous System: Introduction

"Peripheral nerve blocks provide many benefits for patients, including superior pain control and reduction in general anesthesia-related side effects. In order to optimize pain relief while reducing the total dose of local anesthetic it would be of use to add a drug that both speeds onset and prolongs sensory blockade or analgesic effect. Improvements in our knowledge of peripheral nervous system pain mechanisms allow us to develop methods of prolonging analgesia while reducing central and peripherally mediated adverse effects...."