Severe cast burn after bunionectomy in a patient who received peripheral nerve blocks for postoperative analgesia

Patrick K Boyle, John J Badal, Joelle W BoeveDepartment of Anesthesiology, Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ, USAAbstract: Although regional anesthesia offers advantages for intraoperative and postoperative pain relief, it is not possible without complications. A case of a significant burn injury after splint placement is described after a peripheral nerve block was performed for postoperative pain management. It is our hope that this case alerts physicians and others involved in the management of postoperative patients to the challenges of managing a blocked extremity after thermal cast placement and offers solutions that can be standardized.Keywords: Peripheral nerve block, cast burn, postoperative complication