Korean J Anesthesiol.  1998 Feb;34(2):448-452. 10.4097/kjae.1998.34.2.448.

Tourniquet Palsy of Median, Ulnar and Radial Nerves after Axillary Nerve Block: A case report

• Kim TK

• KMID: 2236892
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.1998.34.2.448

Abstract

Nerve damage is the second most common complication related to anesthesia. Peripherial nerve block may be implicated in the etiology of such injury but it has been reported infrequently. Injury to a nerve occurring from the other causes such as patient positioning, surgical trauma or tourniquet, might be mistakenly attributed to the anesthetic. Although the precise mechanism is unknown in most instances, it is important to identify the probable cause since the prognosis for recovering directly depends on the underlying nature of the neurological deficit. We report a case of median, ulnar and radial nerve palsy after axillary block using paresthesia approach. The electromyography (EMG) was performed to evaluate the extent and location of lesion. The EMG findings suggest that nerve lesion was the level of right middle upper arm. So, we suspected tourniquet injury was the most probable cause of neuropathy in spite of adequate pressure and brief application time.

Keyword

Nerve: damage; postoperative; Measurement technique: electromyography

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia
Arm
Electromyography
Nerve Block*
Paralysis*
Paresthesia
Patient Positioning
Prognosis
Radial Nerve*
Tourniquets*