Axillary Nerve

Neurological injury after peripheral blockade has an incidence of less than 1%. However, it has been suggested that for axillary nerve blocks, neurological damage is more likely if paresthesia is the endpoint for location of the nerve sheath, in contrast to the transarterial method. This is probably due to the increased likelihood of direct damage from a needle, intraneural injection of local anesthetic, or toxicity of the local anesthetic to the nerve (59). However, published results on this issue remain contradictory (60). 

A 46-year-old man received an axillary nerve block using 40 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with 1 200 000 adrenaline and 45 seconds later developed a sinus tachycardia and started screaming, appearing terrified. He struck out violently with all limbs and sat upright, attempting... 

LRA is ever gaining popularity for vascular access surgery due to its sympatholytic and venodilatory effect, overall cardiovascular stability and safety, and a potentially positive impact on surgical outcome [20]. The incidence of vasospasm and early thrombosis may be reduced [21]. The site of the regional block needs to be selected such as to adequately anesthetize the projected vascular access site (table 4). For vascular access surgery on the upper extremity, supraclavicular, infraclavicular or axillary nerve blocks are typically performed. 

Loomer R, Graham B (1989) Anatomy of the axillary nerve and its relation to inferior capsular shift. Clin Orthop Rel Res 243 100-105... 

Perlmutter GS (1999) Axillary nerve injury. Clin Orthop 368 28-36... 

Axillary Nerve, Posterior Cord, Posterior Division, Upper Trunk, C5, C6. 

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