Anesthesia for hand injuries.

Hand injuries account for an increasing incidence of emergency room visits, both for purposes of diagnosis and treatment. Patients are also expressing a growing reluctance toward hospitalization for procedures that are now performed with precision in the office or same day surgical unit. These two factors are largely responsible for an increasing reliance on regional techniques to provide optimal anesthesia. The safety, versatility, ease of administration, and consistent success of regional anesthesia validate its frequent use.