General anesthesia is necessary primarily for carrying out surgery. In contrast, regional anesthesia has many uses. Combined with general anesthetics, it allows for lower amounts of these medications and hence quicker and perhaps smoother recovery periods. Postsurgical analgesia can be provided with regional anesthesia, offering improved pain management, faster mobilization, and return to normal function. It can also be useful to carry out quick procedures or investigations.
The goal of this book is to group together current knowledge and protocols regarding regional anesthesia. In the last decade, regional anesthesia use with veterinary patients has increased, and there has become a need for one good “go to” text. This book, I think, fits the bill. It provides step-by-step procedural outlines, equipment lists, figures and photographs, and clinical pearls. It provides a sense that not only is it worth offering regional anesthesia to patients, it is also a procedure that can be readily learned and mastered.
The text is broken down into chapters covering each region, such as the eye, thoracic and pelvic limbs, and trunk. In addition there are chapters reviewing epidural and spinal anesthesia, intravenous anesthesia, and incisional and wound infiltration.
The text provides some history and context on the subject, as well as background on each “regional” area to be blocked. A brief overview of pharmacology of medications typically used is also included.
This is not a massive textbook. Rather, it is a manageable size, easy to delve into and find what you need quickly. It offers what it set out to do and is a useful book to have at the ready. If deciding to offer regional anesthesia along with routine analgesics is your plan, this book will go a long way in assisting you. It’s worth buying a copy.