Beyond the Block: Anaesthesia Ultrasound for Perioperative Care

January 30, 2017

The role of the anaesthesiologist is evolving to include perioperative care. 

With hospitals seeking innovative ways to streamline patient care and improve outcomes, anaesthesiologists are increasingly expected to provide patient care beyond general anaesthesia and nerve blocks. But beyond the block, how does perioperative ultrasound help anaesthesiologists do their jobs?

The answer has a lot to do with the changing practise of medicine.

In the United States, anaesthesiologists are increasingly expected to perform a wider role in care of patients—that is, care before, during, and after surgery—a specialty known as perioperative medicine. As hospitals strive to streamline patient care, anaesthesiologists are stepping up to do even more than ever. And ultrasound can play a crucial role in that care.

Increasingly, anaesthesiologists have been using ultrasound guidance to help visualise soft tissue anatomy and nerve location while performing regional nerve blocks (watch the on-demand webinar). Correct placement of local anaesthetics lead to long lasting pain management and enhanced recovery times. From diagnosing critical complications in the pre-surgical setting, to providing multi-modal pain management in the post-operative patient, ultrasound use is one of the most important skills to gain when going from anaesthesiologist to perioperativist.  


Go Beyond the Block to improve patient outcomes and streamline patient care by diagnosing and preventing serious cardiac complications in the perioperative patient.  Download your FATE Quick Guide and learn how to perform a Cardiac FATE exam.