Abdominal wall blocks: Safe practice and management of adverse events

Abstract

Key PointsAbdominal wall blocks have gained popularity in recent years as an alternative to epidural anesthesia. Due to the vascularity of the target area, the risk of local anesthetic toxicity is heightened.The key to safe abdominal wall blockade is anatomical knowledge, ultrasound scanning skill, and adherence to local anesthetic dose limits.Although rare, trauma to the abdominal wall itself and intra-abdominal structures has been reported. Another rare complication that should be considered is inadvertent femoral nerve block.Absorption of local anesthetic following TAP block is rapid and, although peak plasma concentrations are comparable to other blocks, several reports of seizures have ..