Continuous bilateral subomohyoid suprascapular nerve blocks for postoperative analgesia for bilateral rotator cuff repair: a case report

Abstract

Purpose: Blocking the suprascapular nerve under the inferior belly of the omohyoid muscle is a novel regional anesthesia technique that has been proposed for shoulder analgesia. We describe the use of and our experience with bilateral indwelling suprascapular catheters for pain management via continuous infusions in a patient undergoing bilateral shoulder surgery. Clinical features: Bilateral subomohyoid suprascapular catheters were inserted prior to surgery for postoperative analgesia in a patient undergoing bilateral rotator cuff tear repair. The catheters were placed 0.5–1 cm beyond the needle tip, and low local anesthetic infusion rates (ropivacaine 0.2% at 5 mL·hr−1 on each side) were used. Conclusions: Judicious use of preoperatively placed bilateral suprascapular catheters added to a comprehensive multimodal analgesic regimen provided excellent analgesia without respiratory compromise throughout the perioperative course.