Acute respiratory distress after cervical plexus block caused by acute brainstem anaesthesia

Abstract

A 50-year-old man was scheduled for left carotid endarterectomy under deep and superficial cervical plexus blockade. At the end of the third injection into the deep cervical plexus, he suffered from respiratory distress and hypotension. Surgery was interrupted and he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with acute brainstem anesthesia from unintentional injection of local anesthetic solution into the subarachnoid space. © 2005 VSP.