Stellate Ganglion Block

You have a 45 y/o M who presents in cardiac arrest with refractory ventricular fibrillation. You want to try everything possible to get him back and despite high quality ACLS, defibrillation, medications, anti-arrhythmics, dual sequence defibrillation, and esmolol, he remains in V Fib. If we are throwing the kitchen sink at him to try and save him, why not throw the Hail Mary pass and go for a Stellate Ganglion block. I know what you are thinking and it's that this block is too hard and complicated for me to ever perform, I was never taught this, and I made it years without ever using it.

The above statement is what I thought at one time, and it is just simply not true. For this reason, I chose the Stellate Ganglion block for Education of the Week. Truth be told, the Emergency Medicine physician has the best tool set to perform this block easily. See the attached PDF on the basics and how to perform the block!

Like I tell my sons, "champions are made when no one is watching." Please add this technique to your arsenal because you never know when you may need it.

Until next week.

Dr. Caputo