1. All catheters should undergo a local anesthetic test dose containing 1:400,000 epinephrine.
  2. For patients undergoing deep plexus or deep peripheral block, we recommend that recommendations regarding neuraxial techniques be similarly applied. For patients undergoing other plexus or peripheral techniques, we recommend management (performance, catheter maintenance, and catheter removal) based on site compressibility, vascularity, and consequences of bleeding, should it occur.
  3. Each patient should have no more than two catheters and the total dose of 0.2% Ropivacaine should not exceed 20 ml per hour.
  4. Regional anesthesia patients should be recovered by standard Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) criteria.

Patients with epidurals and peripheral nerve blocks should be held in recovery until they meet standard discharge criteria from PACU and ICU. Patients with peripheral nerve blocks and epidural catheters that have met discharge criteria from ICU and PACU may be managed on the floor. Any patient with an epidural catheter or peripheral nerve block must be closely monitored for signs or symptoms of compartment syndrome (see below). No narcotics will be added to the peripheral nerve block or epidural infusions given the ongoing revision of validation for air transport by the U.S. Air Force (USAF).