This issue brings the anesthesiologist up to date on current essential topics in regional analgesia and acute pain management, including the latest state-of-the-art techniques and drugs.  Subjects covered include prevention and treatment of local anesthetic systemic and neurotoxicity; complications of RA and pain management (medicolegal issues including anticoagulation, infection, etc.); assessment and treatment of post block neurologic injury (history, physical, investigations, EMG, NCS); new ultrasound guided techniques for peripheral nerve blocks and evidence based outcome review; emerging techniques and drugs for neuraxial and paravertebral blocks; local infiltration analgesia (for a variety of surgical procedures, wound infusions, infusion devices); continuous PNB in hospital and at home; recent advances in multimodal analgesia (new drugs & strategies, such as capsaisin, long acting opioid and local anesthetics); challenges in acute pain management (including the opioid tolerant patient, patients with comorbidities such as MS, DM and renal failure); economics and practice management issues associated with acute pain management; pediatric pain management; new concepts of acute pain management (including strategies to prevent chronic pain, opioid induced hyperalgesia, and more).