• Scott Hughey, Jacob Cole, Benjamin Drew, Adam Brust, and Eric Stedjelarsen.
• Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, US Naval Hospital Okinawa, Okinawa, Japan scott.b.hughey@gmail.com.
• Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2024 Jun 27.

AbstractRegional anesthesia (RA) is commonly used in perioperative settings of developed and well-resourced environments. RA has significant potential benefits when used in resource-limited environments, including disaster, mass casualty, and wartime environments. RA offers benefits over general anesthesia and opioid-based analgesia, including decreased risk of complications, decreased reliance on mechanical ventilation, improved cost efficiency, and others. The decreasing cost of ultrasound matched with its smaller size and portability increases the availability of ultrasound in these environments, making ultrasound-guided RA more feasible. This daring discourse discusses some historical examples of RA in ultralow resource environments, both man-made disasters and natural disasters. Future investigations should increase the usefulness and availability of RA in resource-limited environments.© American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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