Complications recognised early and treated promptly can avert disaster. In this case regional anaesthetic blockade exacerbates hypertension in a patient prepared for emergency surgery. The patient is treated urgently and surgery is cancelled. The authors discuss possible mechanisms where nerve blockade of baroreceptors may result in life-threatening hypertension and myocardial damage.

Seema Biswas
Editor-in-Chief

Hypertensive emergency as a complication of brachial plexus block