An interest in POC ultrasound helps spearhead use in Spain

Dr Xavier Sala-Blanch

Point-of-care (POC) ultrasound is playing an important role in the anaesthesiology department at Hospital Clinic in Barcelona.  Senior doctor Dr Xavier Sala-Blanch, head of section in the department of anaesthesiology and resuscitation and associate professor of anatomy in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Barcelona, explained how the use of ultrasound technology has increased in recent years.

His interest in ultrasound and its application to anaesthesia dates back to 1998 when he read some publications on the subject and, a year later, began to use ultrasound for regional anaesthesia.  “Interest in this technique was limited and there was little in the way of training.  I was basically self-taught, using whatever equipment was available, until 2004 when I acquired my first Fujifilm SonoSite 180 Plus POC ultrasound system.”

Dr Sala-Blanch contacted his local SonoSite representative and they have since worked together to develop ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia in Spain.  “This allowed us to deliver ultrasound training in a more regulated way in Spain.  As a result of implementing good training programmes, there has been a significant increase in the use of regional anaesthesia throughout the area.”

See the full report on page 2 of the July 2018 issue of RAD Magazine.

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