QUADRATUS LUMBORUM BLOCK

Course overview

HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS HAVE USED MANY REGIONAL, ANESTHETIC MODALITIES TO PROVIDE ANALGESIA FOR THE THORAX, ABDOMEN, AND PELVIS. WHILE EACH OF THESE MODALITIES HAS A WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS, THEIR UTILITY IS LIMITED BY A FEW CONTRAINDICATIONS. AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO NEURAXIAL ANESTHETICS, TRUNCAL NERVE BLOCKS AND INTERFASCIAL PLANE BLOCKS FOR POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIA HAVE BEEN USED FOR NEARLY A HALF-CENTURY. PRACTITIONERS INITIALLY USED THESE AS ILIOINGUINAL, ILIOHYPOGASTRIC, RECTUS SHEATH BLOCKS, AND IN THE EARLY 21ST CENTURY, TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS PLANE (TAP) BLOCKS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS A RECENT VARIATION OF THE TAP BLOCK KNOWN AS THE QUADRATUS LUMBORUM BLOCK (QLB).