By Vildan Mullin, M.D.
Brachial plexus anesthesia is probably one of the most popular types of anesthesia in the armament of the anesthesiologist. Yet, total knowledge and experience always seems to be a major deficiency not only at the residency level but also in practicing anesthesiologists. Ignorance and fear of the unknown causes a good number of surgical cases to be performed under general anesthesia. Here at the U-M, we have organized a one-day teaching event to increase knowledge and experience in our trainees.
The first brachial plexus anesthesia course was held in the winter of 1991. Lectures covering every aspect of the brachial plexus, from anatomy to technique, are given in a morning session. In the afternoon session, two cadavers (dissected prior to the meeting) are used to demonstrate neck and axillary anatomy in great detail. Trainees then move on to another demonstration area where two live models are used to provide instruction of topographic anatomy. The trainees look for landmarks, and gain hands-on experience of the different techniques.
We offer this course once every two years for the benefit of residents and interested staff. In my opinion, the interest, enthusiasm and success rate for brachial plexus anesthesia has increased a great deal. Blocks that were once performed only on occasion have now become a routine part of our anesthetic practice.