
WELCOME LETTER
The International Symposium of Ultrasound for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ISURA) is one of the most important international meetings dedicated to the practice of ultrasound in regional anesthesia for perioperative application and pain medicine. Since its inception in 2004, the meeting has been hosted in Schwetzingen (Germany), Toronto (Canada), Bern (Switzerland), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Bogota (Colombia) and Florence (Italy). Recognizing that the interest for ultrasound for perioperative application and pain management has expanded globally, our new direction is to bring ISURA to different parts of the world.
We are very pleased to have the opportunity to host our 16th ISURA meeting, from the 9th to the 11th of May, in one of most magnificent locations in Europe: Porto, the capital of Northern Portugal. Chosen as European Capital of Culture in 2001, Porto was elected as the “Best European Destination” in 2012, 2014 and 2017. It is a city with outstanding landscape, where 2000 years of history perfectly blend with modernized infrastructure, such as its airport, elected as one of the 5 Best European Airports. This meeting will be a collaborative effort with Clube de Anestesia Regional (CAR), the national society of regional anesthesia in Portugal. With the full support and collaboration of CAR, we are confident that you will find ISURA 2019 an exceptional meeting full of state-of-the-art medical information surrounded by the famouse portuguese hospitality, its rich European culture, unique cuisine, magnificent scenery and many other delights.
We have planned a very exciting, highly educational 3-day ISURA scientific program that covers various aspects of ultrasound use. In addition, we’ve planned a one-day pre-conference activity in which we’ll offer a demonstration of regional anesthesia block by an expert in a real patient and practice simulations, both basic and advanced, in a simulation center in Porto. We also have 1-day program for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) which will go over topics such as gastric assessment for full stomach, ultrasound for emergency airway management and cardiac, lung and diaphragmatic evaluation. The pain medicine program will feature an update in ultrasound technique, with a focus in denervation of large joints. The regional anesthesia program will present both updates and new findings in various interesting formats.
This is a meeting you don’t want to miss. Not only will you learn of the latest developments in ultrasound applications, you will also have the opportunity to interact with international and national faculty and to network with colleagues from around the world.
See you there!
Meeting co-chairs
Philip Peng (Toronto)
Clara Lobo (Porto)
MEET THE CO-CHAIRS

Clara Lobo
Clara Alexandra Ferreira de Faria Oliveira Lobo, Anesthesiolgy consultant currently working at Hospital das Forças Armadas – Pólo Porto, Portugal. She is also an invited professor at the Departamento de Anatomia Normal at ICBAS (Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar) at Porto University. Past President of CAR/ESRA Portugal, Portuguese Anesthesiology Society dedicated to Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine with over 1300 associates. Since September 2016 is part of ESRA Board (European Society of Regional Anesthesia) and EDRA Board (European Diploma of Regional Anesthesia). Member of the organizing committee of ESRA trainees workshop, in Porto – Portugal and ESRA Instructors Course, in Amsterdam.
Author and co-author of several published papers and book chapters national and internationaly, on regional anesthesia and pain medicine. Loves to read, travel, cinema and listen to music.

Philip Peng
Dr. Philip Peng is a professor in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management of University of Toronto. He has played an important role in the education of the pain medicine and established major teaching courses for Pain in Canada. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) honored him with Founder designation in Pain Medicine for his role in establishing Pain Medicine subspecialty in Canada.
He is also a leader and pioneer in the application of ultrasound for pain medicine and is one of the founding fathers for Ultrasound for Pain Medicine (USPM) SIG for ASRA (American Society of Regional Anesthesia). He is the chair for the new Ultrasound for Pain Medicine Exam Certificate and chair for the Musculoskeletal Pain Ultrasound Cadaver workshop for ASRA. He has edited 7 books and published more than 170 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.
CAR
The Regional Anesthesia Club/ European Society of Regional Anesthesia Portugal (CAR/ESRA) is a non-profit association dedicated to science and social projects.
CAR’s mission is disclosure and promote topics related to the practice and teaching of regional anesthesia and / or the treatment of pain (acute or chronic), to all professionals who are involved in healthcare provision (doctors, nurses or others) in the areas of Peri-operative Medicine and Pain Management.
ISURA
ISURA began in 2001 with its first worldwide courses on Ultrasound and Regional Anaesthesia. In 2004, the same group hosted the first International Symposium on Ultrasound and Regional Anaesthesia, and since 2006, the conference has been held in alternate years in Toronto, Canada, and Schwetzingen, Germany. As you can see in our programme and in our faculty list, the conference has continued to grow, which enables us to invite the top international researchers, developers and teachers in this field..Ultrasound-guided procedures for regional anaesthesia blocks are becoming the most likely standard, and research in the field has focused on the imaging technology in a much broader range. Clinical education, meanwhile, has been overrun by interventional procedures.
COMMITEES
Co-Chairs
Philip Peng
Clara Lobo
POCUS Program Lead
Vincent Chan
Regional Anesthesia Program Co-leads
Teresa Parras
Morne Wolmarans
Abstract committee Lead
Humberto Rebelo
Pain Program Co-leads
Micha Sommer
Philip Peng
Local organizer
CAR / ESRA Portugal
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