Color Doppler Evaluation Prior to Ultrasound-guided Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Nerve Block to Prevent Vascular Injection

Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks are quickly becoming integrated into emergency medicine practice
for pain control and as an alternative to procedural sedation. Common, but potentially catastophic
errors have not been reported outside of the anesthesiology literature. Evaluation of the brachial
plexus with color Doppler should be standard for clinicians performing a supraclavicular brachial
plexus block to determine ideal block location and prevention of inadvertant intravascular injection.