What is the private 1-day ultrasound guided course?

            This involves a near one-on-one teaching with an experienced regional anesthesia teacher. All teaching takes place on a human volunteer. A minimum of two delegates is needed to present the course and a maximum group of 3 delegates may be taken at a time. The course can be adapted to the needs of the group ranging from a basic course to an advanced course. The emphasis is on operating room peripheral nerve blocks.

            The major advantage is the small size of the group and the delegates stand immediately besides the volunteer (“patient”) and assist with equipment operation and that actual nerve blocks will be performed by the lecturer.

The basic agenda is;

• Ultrasound machine operation and theory (30 min)
• Gel nerve tissue phantom practice of transducer nerve and transducer needle movements.  (30 min)
• Nerve block teaching (5 hours). For each nerve block:
  • The lecturer demonstrates ultrasound scanning.
  • The delegates practice ultrasound scanning.
  • The lecturer performs the actual nerve block with needle insertion.

Possible nerve blocks; Interscalene block, interscalene catheter, supraclavicular block, infraclavicular block, infraclavicular catheter, axilla block, Mid-humerus block, elbow block, forearm-wrist block, femoral nerve block, femoral catheter, obturator nerve block, and lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh block,  

Sciatic nerve blocks; parasacral, mid gluteus, low gluteus (GT-IT line block), anterior sciatic, medial sciatic, lateral sciatic, and popliteal fossa block. Saphenous nerve (trans-sartorius), ankle blocks, common peroneal nerve block, and psoas compartment block.

Ilioinguinal nerve block, transversus abdominis block, and rectus sheath block.

Thoracic paravertebral block, cervical plexus block.

Lumbar and thoracic epidural block. (actual epidural blocks cannot be performed on the volunteers, but imaging can be done and explained)

Special notes;

* There is no limit to what may be viewed on ultrasound scanning on our workshop volunteers, but we have to limit actual injections to 4 - 6 each for the two paid volunteers for the workshop. This means not every nerve block imaged and demonstrated will also be actually performed. The choice of which blocks will be performed will depend on delegate educational needs.