Pediatric Regional Anesthesia: New Techniques, Better Outcomes?

Purpose of Review The following discussion aims to provide a review of current trends in the subspeciality of pediatric regional anesthesia, highlighting recent evidence-based literature, especially with respect to improved outcomes with newer techniques. Recent Findings Much of the recent literature focuses on novel truncal blocks and alternate approaches to regional anesthesia for urologic surgery. In many cases, these newer techniques have been shown to improve postoperative pain scores and lower rescue analgesic requirements. Summary Current trends in pediatric regional anesthesia are focused on providing innovative and alternative approaches to pain relief that are patient-specific and tailored to surgical needs. A variety of new blocks expand the regionalist’s ability to offer better analgesia to children and improve parental satisfaction. As more regional block options become available, the iterative process of making changes and assessing outcomes facilitates our ability to continue providing high quality care to children.