Dr. Samuel Z. Soffer, MD

- Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Cohen Children’s Medical Center

What was your initial impression when the pediatric anesthesiologists you worked with started doing nerve blocks? Were you open or resistant to the idea?

Resistant

What surprised you or what did you like about nerve blocks?

How effective they could be when done well. 

How did you become a believer in the routine use of regional anesthesia?

Postop pain control is markedly better.

  

Do you have any advice for pediatric anesthesiologists trying to convince other surgeons of the benefits of pediatric regional techniques?

When done well and efficiently, NOT to do a block is inappropriate!

If there is anything else you'd like to add that wasn't mentioned that you feel is relevant, please respond here.

I was an initial skeptic- now I'm an enthusiastic believer who rarely does an operation on a child without a regional block.