Regional anaesthesia (RA) has been used increasingly during the past four decades. This is addressed to the
perceived advantages of reduced postoperative pain, earlier mobility, shorter hospital stay, and significantly
lower costs. The performance of regional anaesthesia necessitates blocking the peripheral nerves by local
injection of anaesthetic. Clinically this is achieved by the insertion of the injection needle close to the peripheral
nerve, which is visualized with ultrasound and the proximity of the needle to the nerve is assessed with
an electric nerve stimulator. However, it is a subtle technique and requires good theoretical, practical, and
non-cognitive skills to allow trainees to achieve confidence in performing regional anaesthesia and to keep
complications to a minimum. Current training methods for regional anaesthesia include cadavers, video teaching,
ultrasound guidance, and simple virtual patient modelling. These techniques have limited capabilities and do
not consider individual anatomy. The Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) creates the possibility to generate
patient-specific computer models and apply them to RA procedures. The goal of this project is to increase the
application, the effectiveness and the success rates of RA and furthermore the diffusion of the method into a
broader clinical use through the development
of patient-specific VPH models for anaesthesia. We aim at developing two independent but complementary
systems, one system for training and one for guidance: a patient-specific Regional Anaesthesia Simulator
(RASim) enhanced with ultrasound guidance and a Regional Anaesthesia Assistant (RAAs), which will assist the
physicians to localize the nerve during the actual procedure. The RASimAs project will combine both, offering
the possibility of training in the regional anaesthesia technique during the training phase of the physician and
providing assistance during the clinical application of regional anaesthesia at later stages.