[Case report: bilateral block of the brachial plexus--approaches, dosage and effectiveness].

A young man squeezed both hands in a bending machine with the result of complex hand injuries. Because of a high risk for general anesthesia, operation as well as postoperative analgesia was performed under bilateral brachial plexus block with the axillary approach. We discuss the considerations concerning the possible approaches with bilateral anesthesia of the brachial plexus under consideration of side effects and effectiveness. The needed dosage of the local anesthetics will be discussed.