Emergency physicians are the ideal clinicians to care for the
pain management of elder patients, because they are the first
physicians to assume the care for these patients and can more
quickly address pain control. Fletcher et al. found that patients
who were administered a FNB reached their lowest pain score
in 2.88 hours versus 5.81 hours in the control group receiving
intravenous morphine [6]. Currently, emergency physicians
are trained extensively on the use of bedside ultrasound and
emergency programs across the country are further developing
their ultrasound divisions for the purpose of increasing training
and improving patient care. There is still room for improvement,
however, as a survey of 242 EDs in five states (Arkansas, Hawaii,
Minnesota, Vermont, and Wyoming) found that only 47% of
non-academic EDs had point-of-care ultrasound immediately
available [24]. The growing number of ultrasound programs has
quality assessment means as well as a structured approach to
credentialing and documentation [25]. Emergency physicians
use the ultrasound to insert central lines, to perform needle
guided aspirations of tonsils and peritoneal cavities, and to guide
needles into joint spaces in addition to an increasing number of
nerve blocks, including FNBs. Certainly a multispecialty approach
is necessary and collegial communication is required for the care
of elder patients [26]. However, as the evidence of FNBs builds;
failing to perform femoral nerve blocks when indicated may soon
be negligent.