Ultrasound-guided Interscalene Block as a Safer Alternative to General Anesthesia in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis Undergoing Proximal Humerus Fracture Fixation
- 1Department of Anaesthesiology, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
- 2Department of Orthopaedics, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Abstract
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) presents significant anesthetic challenges due to restricted cervical spine mobility and an anticipated difficult airway. General anesthesia may increase perioperative risk, particularly in emergency settings. We report the anesthetic considerations of a 58-year-old male of short stature with suspected AS and severely restricted neck movements, posted for emergency fixation of a proximal humerus fracture. Considering the anticipated difficult airway, ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block was administered as the sole anesthetic technique. Ultrasound-guided interscalene block plays a crucial role as an alternative to general anesthesia in AS patients undergoing upper limb surgery, particularly when airway management is expected to be challenging.
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BibTeX
@article{soor2026ultrasoundguided,
title = {{Ultrasound-guided Interscalene Block as a Safer Alternative to General Anesthesia in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis Undergoing Proximal Humerus Fracture Fixation}},
author = {Bhagyashree Soor and Ruhi Vaid and Abhijit More},
journal = {Annals of African Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.4103/aam.aam_118_26},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4103/aam.aam_118_26},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ultrasound-guided Interscalene Block as a Safer Alternative to General Anesthesia in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis Undergoing Proximal Humerus Fracture Fixation
AU - Bhagyashree Soor
AU - Ruhi Vaid
AU - Abhijit More
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/19
JO - Annals of African Medicine
DO - 10.4103/aam.aam_118_26
UR - https://doi.org/10.4103/aam.aam_118_26
AB - Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) presents significant anesthetic challenges due to restricted cervical spine mobility and an anticipated difficult airway. General anesthesia may increase perioperative risk, particularly in emergency settings. We report the anesthetic considerations of a 58-year-old male of short stature with suspected AS and severely restricted neck movements, posted for emergency fixation of a proximal humerus fracture. Considering the anticipated difficult airway, ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block was administered as the sole anesthetic technique. Ultrasound-guided interscalene block plays a crucial role as an alternative to general anesthesia in AS patients undergoing upper limb surgery, particularly when airway management is expected to be challenging.
SN - 1596-3519
SN - 0975-5764
ER -