Your hosts Amit ”I Got The” Pawa and Jeff “Tha Notorious JCG” Gadsden discuss current issues in regional anesthesia, ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, pain medicine and POCUS, while dropping some tips on how to make your regional anesthesia workflow a blocker’s delight. Each episode dives into clinical pearls, emerging research, and practical POCUS tips (along with a lot of banter and dad jokes). Ideal for anesthesiologists, pain physicians, CRNAs, and trainees—subscribe and level up your perioperative or ICU practice.
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New Season Unlocked! Happy New Year and welcome to our 4th season...in this episode, we're back in the Block Box chatting with none other than Alan Macfarlane from Glasgow, who gives us some amazing Scottish jokes AND a sneak peek into the NAP8 Project that he's leading for the Royal College of Anaesthetists on complications related to regional anesthesia. It promises to be a massive effort and we can't wait to see the results! We also have the pleasure of chatting with Nuala Lucas about her pas...
Ho ho hold the phone! It's time for our Holiday Special Episode and in this, our third season, we go to the BILIH voicemail inbox and see what's been on YOUR mind! In this episode we'll do our best to answer listener questions about continuous spinals, regional research, rebound pain, needle trajectory, AI, education, chronic pain, patient management, equipment, and more! So grab an eggnog and a plate of gingerbread, you won't want to miss this one... Join us each month for another sassy convers...
Close your eyes and repeat after me: "Less Pharma, More Karma"... In this fascinating interview, Dr. Jeni Noerenberg -- anesthesiologist AND integrative medicine physician -- takes a couple of noobs like Amit and Jeff and explains how techniques like noetic medicine, acupuncture, guided imagery, aromatherapy, nutrition, clinical hypnosis (and more!) are being used in the perioperative space to reduce anxiety, decrease anesthetic and opioid requirement, reduce nausea and pain, and improve other i...
More Oslo interviews? You got it. This time we're chatting with amazing Amy Pearson about her leadership in promoting anesthesia safety through the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, and how botox creates opportunities for enhanced patient connection! We also somehow get suckered into a pro-con on airway blocks vs. topicalization with the ever impressive (and impeccably styled) Kariem El-Boghdadly, and well, we'll let you decide what the outcome is... Join us each month for another sassy conv...
We're back to Oslo for the ESRA Block Box experience where we interviewed two fascinating and impressive people: Guy Weinberg from Chicago regales us with how a failed experiment led to an incredible antidote, and leaves us with a word of warning about a commonly-used local anesthetic; and Barbara Breebaart from Antwerp, explains how we have just SIX seconds to win the confidence of our patients with our body language, and other amazing tips for putting patients at ease. Join us each month for a...
The ah-maaazing interviews continue in the Block Box in Orlando -- this time Amit and Jeff are chatting with two Canadians! Anahi Perlas from Toronto tells us about how she first started to think about gastric ultrasound and the challenges involved in creating a new diagnostic test. And then Jon Bailey from Halifax shares his experiences in researching the feasibility of nerve blocks in outer space! Join us each month for another sassy conversation about anesthesiology, emergency medicine, criti...
Got pain that last for a looooong time? YOU, my friend, need a continuous catheter! Join Amit and Jeff as they discuss all things catheter-related: What is the best way to place them? How do keep them from falling out? What are the differences in catheter and pump designs? Is a programmed intermittent bolus enough? Or do we need a background rate too? What is a 'green gizmo'? Why does Jeff keep attempting accents? So many questions--and SO MANY answers! Stay tuned for all this and much more as w...
In this toe-tally fascinating episode, Amit and Jeff talk ankle blocks, digital blocks, Mayo blocks, popliteal sciatic blocks, and much more. Who knew there were so many ways to block the five little piggies??! Join us every episode for another sassy conversation about anesthesiology, emergency medicine, critical care, POCUS, pain medicine, ultrasound guided nerve blocks, acute pain, and perioperative care! Links from the episode: 🔗 Robards et al article about needing an intra-sheath needle tip...
Greetings from Norway!! 🇳🇴 Amit and Jeff once again return to the GE Healthcare Block Box, this time at the ESRA25 meeting in Oslo! In this episode, we chat with Athmaja Thottungal about her motivation behind a career change, the value of healthcare coaches for preventative health, and some practical tips to chill out and engage in a "digital detox". Following that, we talk with John McDonnell and hear his thoughts on blocks new aaaaand not-so-new (and he teases us with some yet-to-be-publishe...
Two amazing interviewees in one deee-licious episode! The uber-impressive Ki Jinn Chin from the University of Toronto shares his ASRA "origin story", his thoughts on how regional anesthesia really does incorporate elements of artistry, creativity and improvisation, how long a YouTube video SHOULD be, and what he's doing with spinals these days. Following that, the always inspiring and engaging Amanda Kumar joins us from Duke University where she shares her experience with high-fidelity simulatio...
In this fascinating episode, Amit and Jeff interview Dr. Jordana Garbati, an “emoji-ologist” 😎 who has researched and lectured internationally about the use of emoji as language. For something we use every day, we sure had a lot of questions: are we using these correctly? Are there ways to be misinterpreted? Is it ok to emoji your boss? What emoji are useful in communicating with colleagues or patients? If you’ve ever wondered how emoji get chosen to be on your phone, or if you wanna understand...
Hosts sit down with Kwesi Kwofie, who shares his research on needle-nerve contact, challenging conventional supraclavicular block techniques and advocating for safer alternatives. The discussion then shifts to Kristopher Schroeder, who explores the burgeoning role of artificial intelligence in anesthesiology, including sentiment analysis, large language models for clinical guidance, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI-assisted writing and data privacy. Both guests provide stimulating insights into advancing regional anesthesia and embracing new technologies responsibly.
Amit and Jeff continue their fascinating dive into the mind and life of Admir Hadzic, author, innovator, founder of NYSORA, brewer of fine beer, bassist and sports car nut. In this episode we discuss standardization in regional anesthesia, the future of textbooks in medicine, how sedated DO patients really want to be for nerve blocks, what it's like to drive a Ferrari to your next gig, and (because we don't shy away from cont-rah-versy, Admir's passionate thoughts and feelings on why there IS a ...
Amit and Jeff are still (!) sweating it out in the block box, and have the good fortune to be joined by three wonderful guests: Stuart Grant from the University of North Carolina, Steve Coppens from the Catholic University of Leuven, and Gary Schwartz from Maimonides Medical Center in NYC. We cover such topics as peripheral nerve stimulation for looooong term pain control, the value of the ESP (and where it might just be hype--I'm talking to you, bunionectomy), the struggle of teaching residents...
He's the founder of NYSORA, a rock-blues bassist, and a lover of fine beer and finer automobiles. We had a ton of fun chatting with Admir Hadzic about the his origin story, how he has been able to reinvent himself and his focus, and how to NOT live your life in "thirds". Over three decades, Admir has built a global educational brand while running a highly efficient regional anesthesia service in New York and now Belgium, and he shares his secrets on how he's been able to build a team, create val...
Our star-studded guest list continues live from the GE Healthcare Block Box at ASRA Spring 25! In this episode we interview Ed Mariano, Eleni Moka, and Michael Bullock, and get their answers to such questions as: What platforms work best for social media? How do we bring RA education to under-resourced parts of the globe? What is the mechanism of tourniquet hypertension and what's a clever trick to obviate that? Why is Jeff so $&*# at accents? And more! No cuts, no edits, no bleeps -- just h...
Wine, flamingos, and a glass box…this is NOT your typical BILIH episode...Amit and Jeff join you from the ASRA Spring Annual Meeting 2025 in Orlando, Florida, where they recorded live interviews with over a dozen influential thinkers in regional anesthesiology. Join us as we chat and laugh with James Kim, Sandy Kopp and Nadia Hernandez over discussions of POCUS, probe covers, catheters, the NEW anticoagulation guidelines, and much much more! Join us each month for another sassy conversation abou...
Clear!!! In the exciting conclusion to our two-parter on blocks in emergency medicine, things get real as the co-hosts debate Arun and Andrew over the ideal block for hip fracture, a slick way to reduce a shoulder dislocation, cheeky femoral blocks, and the role of fascial plane blocks in the ED. Links: The sponsor of this episode is GE Healthcare Venue Family of Ultrasound Machines: https://tinyurl.com/gehealthcarevenue Article on spontaneous reduction hip dislocation after PENG block: https://...
Amit and Jeff are joined by Dr. Robbie Erskine from Daaaarrby, UK, sharing his immense wealth of knowledge and experience (and which Bond film is his fave) on spinal anesthesia technique and how to make ambulatory spinals work for everyone! Link to the BJA Education article on neuraxial anesthesia in patients with challenging anatomy: https://www.bjaed.org/article/S2058-5349(23)00154-3/fulltext Link to Robbie's review article on ambulatory spinal anesthesia: https://www.bjaed.org/article/S2058-5...
Amit and Jeff are joined by two Emergency Medicine experts (and self-described Blockheads!) with a passion for keeping injured patients comfortable. Drs. Arun Nagdev and Andrew Goldsmith talk to us about the role of regional anesthesia in the ER, what blocks are high-impact, what exactly is meant by a "tube and lube rotation" for trainees, and more! Link to the JAMA paper on regional anesthesia in the ER and complications: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2826105 Join...
In part 2, Amit and Jeff tackle probe positioning, needle trajectory and something called Pawa's Pleural Groan...Why is the PVB poised to have a renaissance? Should we block one level? Every level? What's the risk of pneumothorax and should this block be done in anti coagulated patients? (spoiler: 2 out of 2 hosts say YES!) Join us for all this and more as we round out this in-depth discussion into one of our FAVE block techniques. Oh, and jokes. Always the jokes. Link to the Cho study on parave...
In this episode, Amit and Jeff hold court while discussing the crown jewel of regional techniques, the paravertebral block. Join us for some controversies, debates and jokes while we give paravertebral anatomy and block technique the royal treatment. Join us each month for another sassy conversation about anesthesiology, emergency medicine, critical care, POCUS, pain medicine, ultrasound guided nerve blocks, acute pain, and perioperative care!
Grab an eggnog & a mince pie or two and join Amit and Jeff for a frosty and festive finale to Season 2, featuring answers to some listener questions and a joyful round of dad jokes! Links to things discussed: University of Florida study on intercostobrachial nerve block: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35308761/ Good paper explaining how regional anesthesia does NOT block ischemic pain: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24102987/ Puzzling paper attributing acute compartment syndrome after tibi...
In this engaging conclusion of our two-parter, we continue to share some laughs with the amazing Tanya Selak while discussing the value of SoMe collaboration, how to set boundaries when things get rough, and why she's NOT quitting Twitter (X) quite yet. In the meantime, Amit quotes Vanilla Ice, while Tanya seeks redemption as she gets another shot at the Dad-joke title. Join us each month for another sassy conversation about anesthesiology, emergency medicine, critical care, POCUS, pain medicine...
Amit and Jeff welcome special guest Tanya Selak from Wooleng....Woolloongo....from Australia. Tanya shares her ideas on the role of regional anesthesia in contemporary practice, how and who we should be training procedural skills in anesthesia, and possibly wins the joke-off with the lads. Join us each month for another sassy conversation about anesthesiology, emergency medicine, critical care, POCUS, pain medicine, ultrasound guided nerve blocks, acute pain, and perioperative care!...
In the exciting conclusion of our abdominal wall block series, Amit and Jeff dive into QL blocks (and more!)...what's the deal with QL 1, 2 & 3? Does it REALLY get the whole abdomen? What is a Tequila block and how can I get one cuz it sounds delicious!? Join us for all this and a heapin' helping of the usual dad jokes... Link to Jeff's QL video: https://youtu.be/vrQ613SoQvI?si=tFzNdjNULvXbFkd_ Link to Amit's ESP video: https://youtu.be/EJDBnzOfmms?si=QnDGjxTWzuffW0gP Join us each month for ...
Is it advantageous to mix local anesthetics? Should we perform blocks in asleep patients? Why is the 'tucked vs untucked' scrub debate so fierce? 🤔 Join Amit and Jeff as they dive into these controversial issues and more! Things we referenced during this episode: Link to interscalene mixing study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21156983/ Link to interscalene sequence study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22798531/ Link to Jeff's "Mythbusters" video on mixing local anesthetics: https://youtu.b...
Join Amit and Jeff for a continuing discussion on belly blocks--we take a deep dive on external oblique intercostal block, find out WHY rectus sheath block is just so darn easy and fun to do, and entertain offers of tummy massages... Link to External Oblique Intercostal Block video: https://youtu.be/EftwBnMVHOI?si=RC_ARcjCq0fuIGA1 Link to rectus sheath block videos: https://youtu.be/8jZG-w94srQ?si=wKUZbwn0zlztNSdl https://youtu.be/De1hjejTLBY?si=5pDKU_xAW62KJ5Wi Article on surgeon's attitudes to...
Amit & Jeff are joined by special guest star Jonny Wilkinson from Northampton as we discuss the role of nerve blocks in the intensive care unit: Which blocks? Who does them? Which patients benefit? How do we best teach these? Laughs were had, sound effects were shared, but no possums were injured in the making of this episode. The Northampton Critical Care site: https://criticalcarenorthampton.com/ Join us each month for another sassy conversation about anesthesiology, emergency medicine, cr...
