Regional anaesthesia at Barts

At Barts we strive to provide effective regional anaesthesia to a wide range of patients who can benefit from it. This includes those undergoing cardiology, thoracic and cardiac surgical procedures, as well as acute admissions with complications such as rib or sternal fractures.

Our regional anaesthesia service is led by anaesthetists who have both an interest in regional anaesthesia as well as cardiothoracics. We provide regional anaesthetic techniques with the aim of enhancing the perioperative care for cardiac and thoracic surgery, cardiology procedures, and acute referrals for regional intervention.

The regional approaches we regularly use in our patient cohort range from thoracic epidurals to ultrasound guided techniques. These include:

  • Paravertebral block and catheter insertion

  • Erector spinae block and catheter insertion

  • Serratus anterior plane blocks (SAPB)

  • Pectoralis-intercostal plane and pectoralis-intercostal rectus-sheath (PIRS) plane blocks

  • Parasternal blocks

Common uses for regional anaesthetic techniques at Barts POM include:

  • Video assisted and robotic assisted thoracic surgery

  • Sternotomies and minimally invasive cardiac surgery

  • Cardiology procedures including subcutaneous ICD insertions

  • Rib or sternal fractures

  • Open thoracotomies

Training in regional anaesthesia

Our regional anaesthesia team are also passionate about training others in the use of regional anaesthesia for cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology procedures and acute chest wall pain. This is a key priority for us, helping to expand our regional anaesthesia service and train others in useful skills for work outside of Barts.

Anaesthetists training at Barts POM receive teaching sessions in regional anaesthesia, live scanning practice and supervised practical development.

We also hold training days and courses in the practice of regional anaesthesia for the thorax, using a mixture of live scanning, simulation, needling practice and topic discussion.

If you are interested in finding out more about the regional anaesthesia service we offer, please get in touch with us through our contact us page