Total spinal anaesthesia after an attempted brachial plexus block using the posterior approach.

A 66-year-old patient scheduled for elective shoulder surgery underwent a brachial plexus block using the posterior approach. Shortly after injection of the local anaesthetic, he rapidly became unresponsive and apnoeic. We identify the possible reasons for this occurrence and discuss the place of the posterior approach in brachial plexus anaesthesia.