ULTRASOUND-GUIDED REGIONAL ANESTHESIA MANUAL: A Clinical Handbook of Sonoanatomy, Peripheral Nerve Blocks, Block Techniques, Local Anesthetic Safety, Perioperative Pain Management, and Board Review

In regional anesthesia, the ultrasound image is only the beginning. The clinician must translate sonoanatomy into a safe needle path, judge local anesthetic spread in real time, and make sound decisions when anatomy, physiology, or the procedure does not follow the textbook.

Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia Manual turns that process into a practical clinical framework, linking what appears on the screen with block selection, needle control, pharmacology, safety, troubleshooting, and perioperative pain planning.

Built for Clinical Practice and Board Preparation
Written for anesthesiology residents, regional anesthesia fellows, practicing anesthesiologists, CRNAs, emergency medicine physicians, acute pain specialists, and ABA board candidates, this handbook supports a clear goal: move from recognizing a structure to understanding how that finding should guide the next clinical step.
Readers are taken from probe placement and image optimization through target identification, needle advancement, injection assessment, complication prevention, rescue strategies, and post-block management, with the same practical logic carried across major regional techniques.

Why This Handbook Matters

• Sonoanatomy with Clinical Context - Recognize nerves, vessels, muscle, fascia, bone, pleura, and other landmarks while understanding how each structure affects block planning and safety.
• Repeatable Step-by-Step Technique - Work through patient positioning, transducer selection, probe orientation, needle approach, target endpoint, injection pattern, expected spread, and confirmation of success.
• Safety at the Center of the Technique - Review LAST, nerve injury, vascular puncture, hematoma, infection, pneumothorax, anticoagulation considerations, and other complications that can change management.
• Procedure-Specific Decision-Making - Match regional techniques to surgical pain distribution, motor effects, pulmonary risk, mobilization goals, and appropriate alternatives.
• Clinical Review That Supports Exam Preparation - Reinforce key concepts through focused summaries, sonoanatomy review, common pitfalls, pharmacology, clinical scenarios, and original board-style MCQs with detailed rationales.

What You’ll Find Inside

• Ultrasound physics, equipment, image optimization, and systematic scanning
• In-plane and out-of-plane needle guidance, needle-tip visualization, hydrolocation, and hydrodissection
• Local anesthetic pharmacology, dose-selection principles, and patient-specific considerations
• LAST recognition, lipid-emulsion treatment principles, nerve injury prevention, and complication management
• Antithrombotic therapy, infection prevention, sterile technique, and high-risk patient considerations
• Brachial plexus and selective upper-extremity blocks
• Femoral, fascia iliaca, PENG, adductor canal, sciatic, popliteal, ankle, and distal lower-extremity blocks
• Abdominal wall, thoracic, and fascial plane blocks
• Continuous peripheral nerve catheters, infusion strategies, troubleshooting, and follow-up
• Multimodal and opioid-sparing perioperative pain pathways
• Pediatric, older, medically complex, trauma, and emergency medicine applications
• Ultrasound-assisted neuraxial anatomy and difficult neuraxial access
• High-yield board review, clinical scenarios, oral-board-style reasoning, and MCQs with detailed explanations
• Quick-reference appendices for local anesthetics, LAST, ultrasound settings, block selection, catheter troubleshooting, and documentation

Move from image recognition to deliberate action, with a structured reference designed for the decisions that matter before, during, and after the block.