Low-Volume Superior Trunk and Superficial Cervical Plexus Block With Sedation as the Sole Regional Anesthetic for Proximal Humerus Fracture Fixation in a Patient With Alzheimer Disease.
- 1Department of Anesthesiology, Thammasat University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand.
Abstract
BACKGROUND Proximal humerus open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is usually performed under interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) or general anesthesia (GA). ISB causes ipsilateral phrenic nerve paresis in nearly all patients, and GA may raise the risk of postoperative neurocognitive disorders in elderly patients with cognitive impairment. We report the feasibility of a low-volume regional technique, used as the sole regional anesthetic with sedation, in a patient in whom GA avoidance was desirable. CASE REPORT A 68-year-old woman (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II) with Alzheimer's disease underwent ORIF of a closed right proximal humerus fracture via a deltopectoral approach under superior trunk block (STB) with 5 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine, combined with superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) with 3 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine, totaling 8 mL, with propofol and dexmedetomidine sedation. Surgery lasted 174 minutes without intraoperative rescue analgesia. Heart rate ranged from 48 to 68 beats/min during dexmedetomidine infusion without anticholinergic treatment, and oxygen saturation remained at 100% with spontaneous ventilation preserved. The block provided analgesia for about 12 hours, with pain score 1/10 at rest at 24 hours, and satisfaction 10/10. No clinically evident respiratory compromise, Horner's syndrome, or postoperative delirium was observed, although diaphragmatic and cognitive function were not formally assessed. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 2. CONCLUSIONS In this single patient, low-volume STB combined with SCPB was a feasible sole regional anesthetic technique, supported by sedation, for proximal humerus ORIF, completed without conversion to GA or clinically evident respiratory compromise. Respiratory and cognitive outcomes were clinically uneventful but not formally measured; broader utility remains to be established.
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BibTeX
@article{saengsomsuan2026lowvolume,
title = {{Low-Volume Superior Trunk and Superficial Cervical Plexus Block With Sedation as the Sole Regional Anesthetic for Proximal Humerus Fracture Fixation in a Patient With Alzheimer Disease.}},
author = {Niruji Saengsomsuan and Lalida Sangkakit},
journal = {The American journal of case reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.12659/ajcr.954296},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42870413},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Low-Volume Superior Trunk and Superficial Cervical Plexus Block With Sedation as the Sole Regional Anesthetic for Proximal Humerus Fracture Fixation in a Patient With Alzheimer Disease.
AU - Niruji Saengsomsuan
AU - Lalida Sangkakit
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - The American journal of case reports
DO - 10.12659/ajcr.954296
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42870413
AB - BACKGROUND Proximal humerus open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is usually performed under interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) or general anesthesia (GA). ISB causes ipsilateral phrenic nerve paresis in nearly all patients, and GA may raise the risk of postoperative neurocognitive disorders in elderly patients with cognitive impairment. We report the feasibility of a low-volume regional technique, used as the sole regional anesthetic with sedation, in a patient in whom GA avoidance was desirable. CASE REPORT A 68-year-old woman (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II) with Alzheimer's disease underwent ORIF of a closed right proximal humerus fracture via a deltopectoral approach under superior trunk block (STB) with 5 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine, combined with superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) with 3 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine, totaling 8 mL, with propofol and dexmedetomidine sedation. Surgery lasted 174 minutes without intraoperative rescue analgesia. Heart rate ranged from 48 to 68 beats/min during dexmedetomidine infusion without anticholinergic treatment, and oxygen saturation remained at 100% with spontaneous ventilation preserved. The block provided analgesia for about 12 hours, with pain score 1/10 at rest at 24 hours, and satisfaction 10/10. No clinically evident respiratory compromise, Horner's syndrome, or postoperative delirium was observed, although diaphragmatic and cognitive function were not formally assessed. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 2. CONCLUSIONS In this single patient, low-volume STB combined with SCPB was a feasible sole regional anesthetic technique, supported by sedation, for proximal humerus ORIF, completed without conversion to GA or clinically evident respiratory compromise. Respiratory and cognitive outcomes were clinically uneventful but not formally measured; broader utility remains to be established.
SN - 1941-5923
ER -