Anaesthesia for the management of distal radius fractures in adults in Scottish hospitals.

The objective of this study was to determine the methods of anaesthesia used for the reduction of distal radius fractures in adults in Scotland and to compare this with the UK situation. The method used was a telephone questionnaire of accident and emergency doctors in 25 Scottish hospitals dealing with trauma. Thirty-two per cent still use general anaesthesia routinely for these procedures despite its cost, complexity and need for admission in the majority of cases. Forty-four per cent now use the Bier's block technique of regional anaesthesia, with the attendant advantages of ease of use, rapid recovery and no need for admission in the majority of patients. Twelve per cent use intravenous sedation and 12% use haematoma blocks for manipulations. It is concluded that Bier's block may be the anaesthetic method of choice for the management of distal radius fractures both in efficiency and economic terms in Scotland. However, training for Bier's blocks needs to be standardized and improved.