Non-Opioid Management of Post-Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Headache: A Case Report on the Use of Greater Occipital Nerve Block.

Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

In the acute phase, aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage headaches (SAHs) are often difficult to manage. Clinical guidelines advise utilizing multimodal pain management but do not make specific recommendations. We present a case of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage-related headache that was found to respond to greater occipital nerve blocks. A 35-year-old woman was admitted to the clinic for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. When admitted, she reported severe headaches that were unresponsive to pain medication. After she received bilateral greater occipital nerve blocks, her pain was immediately reduced by 50%. Emerging evidence suggests that peripheral nerve blocks may serve as an effective mode of pain management for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage-related headaches. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of peripheral nerve blocks in this patient population.