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About the event

The upcoming Riga East University Hospital Regional Anaesthesia Day: Regional Blocks in Emergencies, taking place on 27–28 February 2026 and organised by the Educational Center of Riga East University Hospital, will provide a valuable platform for learning, inspiration, and professional discussion.

The event will focus on the safe and appropriate use of regional anaesthesia techniques for emergency patients as part of a multimodal analgesia strategy. It is estimated that up to 80% of emergency patients suffer from severe pain, yet pain is not always properly assessed or adequately controlled. Time pressure, prioritisation of life-threatening conditions, and potential concerns about the side effects of regional techniques often hinder optimal pain management. Today, pain control in emergency departments, operating theatres, and intensive care units has become an increasingly important topic.

Key questions remain in emergency situations:

Are opioids still the best treatment option for acute pain?
Are regional blocks truly unsafe in emergency situations?
Which techniques and local anaesthetics are most appropriate?

Who should perform regional blocks and when?
How can we shorten onset time and prolong block duration?

This two-day program offers a unique educational experience. The first day features exclusive pre-conference workshops held in the operating theatre, including live practical demonstrations on patients and hands-on sessions on training models. The second day will be dedicated to theoretical lectures, scientific exchange, and comprehensive education focused on the role of regional anaesthesia in emergency medicine.

You are warmly welcome – emergency doctors, anaesthesiologists and intensive care specialists, surgeons, residents, nurses, physician assistants, medical students and others because together we can achieve more by providing safe and effective regional analgesia.

Day 1

27 FEB 2026 | 8.00 – 14.00
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS IN OPERATING THEATER, RIGA EAST UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
MODERATORS: AGNESE OZOLIŅA, ANNA JUNGA
GROUP 1 – REAL BLOCKS ON A PATIENT ACUTE PAIN SERVICE | DEMONSTRATOR: OĻEGS GUTŅIKOVS
GROUP 2 – REAL BLOCKS ON A PATIENT ACUTE PAIN SERVICE | DEMONSTRATOR: INTA ČERŅAVSKA
GROUP 3 – HIP BLOCKS ON A MODEL | EXPERT: ERIC ALBRECHT
GROUP 4 – THORACIC AND LUMBAR PARAVERTEBRAL BLOCKS ON A MODEL | EXPERT: STEVE COPPENS
GROUP 5 – RESCUE BLOCKS FOR UPPER EXTREMITY ON A MODEL | DEMONSTRATOR: LAUMA STACEVIČA

PARTICIPANTS ARE DIVIDED INTO 5 GROUPS
10–12 PEOPLE IN EACH GROUP
EACH WORKSHOP LASTS 60 MINUTES

Speaker

Eric Albrecht (Switzerland)

ESRA Board Officer

Professor of Anaesthesia
University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland

Prof. Eric Albrecht is a leading academic anesthesiologist and pain-medicine specialist based at University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) and University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland. Prof. Dr. med. Eric Albrecht is the Director of the Regional Anesthesia Program and the Clinical Research Program at the University Hospital of Lausanne in Switzerland. He holds certifications in Anesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Chronic Pain Medicine. Eric is also board member of the European Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA), and member of the PROSPECT working group. His field of research includes meta-analyses and prospective trials on regional anesthesia, acute postoperative pain, opioid-free anesthesia and sleep apnea syndrome. He is the principal author of more than 150 peer-reviewed articles published in high profile journals and three French-language books. Prof. Albrecht also serves as associate editor for the journals Anesthesia and Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.

Speaker

Steve Coppens (Belgium)

Head of the Departament of Anaesthesiology

University Hospitals Leuven,
Belgium

MD, PhD Steve Coppens is a respected anesthesiologist and regional anesthesia expert based at University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven), Belgium. In his clinical and academic work, his focus areas include regional and trauma anesthesia, pediatric regional anesthesia, and thoracic anesthesia. He has also contributed to training the next generation of anesthesiologists by developing structured fellowship and resident-training programs in regional anesthesia at Leuven. His PhD work concentrates on enhanced recovery programs and regional anesthesia in thoracic and abdominal surgery. Coppens has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in the fields of anesthesiology, regional anesthesia, and perioperative care.