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Background and Aims Timely and effective analgesia in the Emergency Department (ED) constitutes an important element of patients’ therapeutic approach.The potential of implementing Peripheral Nerve Blocks (PNB) in plenty of injuries and pathological situations and the fact that they spare the adverse effects of systemic analgesia makes them very useful at the ED setting. We aimed to review the literature regarding the PNBs in ED.

Methods Research of the literature was carried out in two databases, Pubmed and Cochrane, using the following free- text terms: (peripheral nerve blocks OR nerve blocks OR regional nerve blocks) AND (emergency department).

Results 953 studies were identified initially and 107 papers were included in this literature review. They were categorized in 4 groups: PNBs of the upper extremity (27), of the lower extremity (51), of the trunk (20), of the head (9). The most common causes of implementing a PNB in ED were: analgesia for closed reduction in shoulder dislocation or forearm fractures, analgesia in hip fractures, analgesia in rib fractures and analgesia in primary headaches respectively. Analgesic effect of PNBs is comparable to that of systemic analgesia. Additionally, PNBs contribute to haemodynamic stability, avoidance of sedation, early ambulation, prevention of chronic pain and reduction in length of stay and healthcare cost.

Conclusions The use of PNBs in ED is advantageous both for the patient and the healthcare system. However, the existing literature, for specific PNBs especially, proves to be insufficient. Conducting further studies in order to substantiate the efficiency of PNBs in the ED, is of great importance.