The introduction of ultrasound technology into clinical practice over twenty years ago has brought many benefits to regional anaesthesia. Since then, regional blocks have been used much more frequently. Ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia (UGRA) has improved efficacy and outcome such as accuracy, needling time, block onset, local anaesthetic volumes and block duration. Ultrasound has also made regional anaesthesia safer. The incidence of local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) was significantly reduced, which is based on the lower volume of the local anaesthetic and the visualization of the spread of the local anaesthetic.

Despite widespread use of ultrasound imaging to guide needle placement, the incidence of transient and permanent nerve damage as a complication of regional anaesthesia has not changed in comparison to nerve stimulation over the last decade. Problems for the anaesthesiologist are the identification of the needle tip before advancing the needle, seeing the needle tip at all times, adjustment of the needle tip, identification of the needle tip before injection, recognition of tissue contact, local anaesthetic spread and intraneural injection.

There is a need for a technology that accurately and reliably identifies the position of the needle tip and that reliably discriminates the nerve structures from other tissue. In recent years, some innovations in the field of needle tip and tissue recognizing technologies have been presented based on measurements of injection pressure, electrical impedance, spectroscopic or elastographic processes. Some of these technologies are still under development, while others are already in clinical use. However, so far there is too little data to conclusively assess whether they have the potential to improve patient safety and change our practice in regional anesthesia.

Abstract - Basic Cardiac Ultrasound for Anaesthesiologists

Point-of-Care ultrasound (POCUS) has due to the portability, simplicity and excellent image quality of modern ultrasound equipment become a highly relevant skill for all anesthesiologists to better evaluate patients in the perioperative period and help diagnose and manage relevant complications.

The presentation will demonstrate how ultrasound can be used to answer relevant cardiac focused questions necessary for critical decision-making in the perioperative setting.

Abstract - Lung Ultrasound applied in Perioperative Practice

Point-of-Care ultrasound (POCUS) has due to the portability, simplicity and excellent image quality of modern ultrasound equipment become a highly relevant skill for all anesthesiologists to better evaluate patients in the perioperative period and help diagnose and manage relevant complications.

The presentation will demonstrate how ultrasound can be used to answer relevant focused questions about the lungs necessary for critical decision-making in the perioperative setting.