Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Services

Dr. Shalini Dhir
Program Director

The Division of Regional Anesthesia (RA) and Acute Pain Services (APS) takes pride in being one of the pioneering departments in Canada to adopt latest techniques in regional anesthesia such as ultrasonography, continuous catheter regional anesthesia and analgesia, and ambulatory regional analgesia at home.

The RA and APS programs strive to be effective in three core areas:

  1. Clinical: To provide our patients with optimal care.
  2. Education: To provide our trainees the opportunity to develop knowledge and skill in management strategies which address both routine and complex peri-operative management issues.
  3. Research: To be productive in the development and dissemination of knowledge related to these specialties.

Education

The Division of Regional Anesthesia includes two sites with designated block rooms for initiating regional blocks. These sites have a dedicated teaching staff and infrastructure that are involved in regional anesthesia education. St. Joseph's Health Care, is the home of the Hand and Upper Limb Centre, which performs over 2500 blocks per year, while the London Health Sciences Centre currently performs over 1000 neuraxial and lowerlimb blocks. The program supports both resident and fellow education and strives to provide lateral education to consultants from Western University and other hospitals. The program continues to grow.

Innovation

The division introduced ultrasonography for regional anesthesia in 2003. 90% of the regional blocks are completed through the use of ultrasonography. The division has a well-run ambulatory regional analgesia program.

Research

The division has ongoing research projects in regional techniques, ultrasonography, pain management and collaborative research with other divisions. The volume is growing tremendously. Research in the basic sciences lab is also being initiated.

For more information on Research in Acute Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia, please visit the Department's Areas of Research page.