NYMC Faculty Publications
The Use of a Suprascapular Nerve Block to Facilitate the Reduction of an Anterior Shoulder Dislocation: An Alternative for Elderly and Patients With Cardiopulmonary Comorbidities?
Author Type(s)
Faculty
DOI
10.1016/j.jemermed.2022.04.010
Journal Title
The Journal of Emergency Medicine
First Page
265
Last Page
271
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2022
Department
Emergency Medicine
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Anterior shoulder dislocation is a common presentation to the emergency department (ED). Dislocations are spontaneous or traumatic. Generally, a reduction is performed under procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA). Other approaches include the use of intra-articular lidocaine or, in rare instances, nerve blocks. Here we discuss the case of a 66-year-old female patient who presented with left shoulder pain and limited range of motion after a fall. After discussing potential treatment options to reduce the dislocation, the patient agreed to a nerve block. DISCUSSION: The dislocation was reduced successfully with a suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) without complications. The duration of the patient's ED stay was shorter than those who had received PSA. CONCLUSIONS: SSNB could be an alternative method for shoulder dislocation reduction, particularly for patients who are obese, older, or have cardiopulmonary comorbidities.
Recommended Citation
Hassen, G. W., Bergmann-Dumont, D., Duvvi, A., Sudol, S., Choy, D., Yeo, T., Viswanath, A., Roffe, E., Kim, C. L., Elnatour, A., Arias, M. G., & Kalantari, H. (2022). The Use of a Suprascapular Nerve Block to Facilitate the Reduction of an Anterior Shoulder Dislocation: An Alternative for Elderly and Patients With Cardiopulmonary Comorbidities?. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 63 (2), 265-271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2022.04.010