The Regional Anesthesia program at AUB-MC is committed to excellence in education and clinical research. The rotation introduces residents to various regional anesthetic techniques tailored to the gamut of surgical specialties. Residents will gain proficiency in providing postoperative analgesia for orthopedic procedures and most regional anesthesia required for general, vascular, reconstructive and thoracic surgery are also taught. We consult on the management of patients with postoperative, post-traumatic, or any acute pain condition requiring specialized interventions in regional anesthesia. We also offer a full range of interventional procedures, such as blood patches, ultrasound guided difficult lumbar punctures and epidural placement. The service is staffed for 24 hours coverage seven days a week.
Regional anesthesia department provides a wide variety of blocks for regional pain and acute pain management including single-shot peripheral and central neural blocks, continuous catheter techniques, ultrasound and fluoroscopy guidance, as well as other innovative approaches to perioperative pain management. In addition, we provide perioperative pain management and regional anesthesia care for pediatric patients.
Each faculty instructor brings a unique perspective to blocks, which enhances the learning opportunity for our trainees. Graduates of the program are expected to become highly skilled in regional anesthesia from basic to the most challenging interventions. Resident educational objectives correlate to the resident’s year of training, allowing a continued and expanding role for residents of all levels. Residents are given increasingly more difficult blocks as they demonstrate the ability to safely and efficiently perform blocks and explain the reasons for a given block in a particular patient. After their CA3 year, rotation residents should be very comfortable in all blocks everyday anesthesiologists would be required to do and how to care for patients with these blocks, especially all continuous neuraxial, paraneuraxial and peripheral nerve blocks. Moreover, the group conducts several regional anesthesia workshops throughout the year in which residents actively participate. At the AUB-MC in collaboration with the Aesculap Academy, a 2-day conference by world-renowned experts in the field of Regional Anesthesia and Ultrasound Guided Regional Anesthesia share their knowledge and wealth of experience in this rapidly evolving area. This is followed by workshop sessions which provide a hands-on experience in nerve block techniques. The educational program is designed to augment the clinical and educational experience.
Marwan Rizk, MDRegional Anesthesia Division Director