Study Summary

Eighty adult patients with complex unilateral hand injuries were randomized to receive either a continuous infraclavicular brachial plexus block (n=40) or standard intravenous analgesics (n=40). The primary outcome was pain relief 1 hour after intervention. Secondary outcomes included pain during interventions, rescue analgesic use, patient satisfaction, and persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) at days 15 and 30. Overall, the results of the study revealed that patients in the brachial plexus block group experienced significantly lower pain scores at 1 hour, less breakthrough pain, less need for rescue analgesia, and a lower incidence of PPSP at 30 days. The findings suggest that early use of continuous brachial plexus block enhances analgesia, reduces PPSP, and improves patient satisfaction.