Multimodal clinical pathways, perineural catheters, and ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia: the anesthesiologist's repertoire for the 21st century.

Regional anesthesia is making a comeback because of improved technology and research that shows that its use results in less discomfort for patients and shorter hospital stays. This article provides a brief history of regional anesthesia, describes current techniques for administering it, and discusses potential benefits associated with it. It also describes Mayo Clinic's Total Joint Regional Anesthesia Clinical Pathway, a comprehensive care plan for patients undergoing joint replacement surgery that uses peripheral nerve blockade and multimodal analgesia.