Intravenous infusion anesthesia for upper extremity surgery.

Regional anesthesia by intravenous infusion was successfully performed in 126 cases with only three complications. The technic is particularly useful for outpatient surgery and for cases where general anesthesia is unsuitable. This type of anesthesia is not for routine use. Proper equipment and personnel must be available. We do not recommend its usage in very obese patients or where absolute hemostasis is essential. Caution is urged in cases where edema has developed as the absorbtion of local anesthetic is not predictable.