Continuous infraclavicular brachial plexus block in a child

Continuous regional anesthesia for both intra- and postoperative use in adults is becoming more common. As with many new anesthesia techniques, however, there is often a lag time before the same techniques are utilized in children. Our patient was a 10-year-old child requiring reoperation on her fifth digit with planned 48-h admission for range of motion exercises. We wanted to have a continuous regional blockade to control the patient's pain during the postoperative manipulations of the digit. A search of the literature from the last 10 years did not show any reports of the placements of a continuous brachial plexus block in children. In this case report, we present the successful placement and use of a continuous infraclavicular catheter in a child undergoing upper extremity surgery.