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Internet Enduring Material - Anatomy and Physical Exam of the Adult Brachial Plexus

Anatomy and Physical Exam of the Adult Brachial Plexus

Scott W. Wolfe, MD

Kristin K. Warner, MD

Sponsored by Hospital for Special Surgery Office of Continuing Medical Education

Original Release Date:  April 23, 2011

Expiration Date:  April 22, 2014

Most Recent Review: April 4, 2013

Most Recent Update: April 4, 2013

Overview

Injuries to the brachial plexus can have devastating consequences for patients. Early recognition of this injury, along with the recent advances that have been made in its treatment, can greatly improve outcomes for patients with injuries to the brachial plexus. General practitioners, orthopaedists/surgeons and other allied health professionals who may manage patients with such an injury will benefit from an increased understanding of brachial plexus anatomy, injury patterns and potential treatments. Through the use of video presentations of a cadaveric dissection and physical exam, this activity will teach participants how to diagnose through the physical exam and better understand the need for additional work up and treatment.

Learning Objectives

Hospital for Special Surgery activities are intended to improve the quality of patient care and safety. At the conclusion of this course, the participant should be able to:

  • Discuss the anatomy of the plexus, as well as injury patterns and gravity of injuries
  • Diagnose through the physical exam
  • Apply timely diagnosis and appropriate patient evaluation in order to identify what additional testing is indicated
  • Apply timely diagnosis and intervention, such as referrals, in order to identify how or when to refer or treat

Target Audience

This activity is targeted to athletic trainers, fellows, medical students, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, physician assistants, primary care physicians, specialty physicians (including anesthesiology, neurology, orthopaedics, and physiatry), and residents.

Accreditation

Hospital for Special Surgery is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation

Hospital for Special Surgery designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Commercial Support

This Internet Enduring Material did not receive commercial support.

Faculty Disclosure

In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education's Standards for Commercial Support, all CME providers are required to disclose to the activity audience the relevant financial relationships of the planners, teachers, and authors involved in the development of CME content. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if he or she has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the CME activity content over which the individual has control.

It is the policy of Hospital for Special Surgery to disclose all financial relationships that planners, teachers and authors have with commercial interests. Relationship information appears below:

Activity Directors/Faculty Disclosure

Scott W. Wolfe, MD has disclosed the following financial relationships:

  • TriMed, Inc.: Royalty; Speakers' Bureau
  • Extremity Medical: Royalty; Consulting Fees or Honoraria
  • SBI: Speakers' Bureau

Scott W. Wolfe, MD will not be discussing products/services of the commercial interests with which relationship(s) exists.

Kristin K. Warner, MD has disclosed no financial relationships.

Planning Committee Disclosure

Allison Goldberg, MPA has disclosed no financial relationships.

Kristin K. Warner, MD has disclosed no financial relationships.

Scott W. Wolfe, MD has disclosed the following financial relationships:

  • TriMed, Inc.: Royalty; Speakers' Bureau
  • Extremity Medical: Royalty; Consulting Fees or Honoraria
  • SBI: Speakers' Bureau

Scott W. Wolfe, MD will not be discussing products/services of the commercial interests with which relationship(s) exists.


OCME/CME Committee

Hospital for Special Surgery Office of CME staff and CME Committee members have no relevant financial relationships to disclose regarding this activity.


Activity Faculty

Activity Directors/Faculty:
Scott W. Wolfe, MD
Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon
Chief Emeritus of the Hand and Upper Extremity Service
Director, Center for Brachial Plexus and Traumatic Nerve Injury
Hospital for Special Surgery
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, NY

Kristin K. Warner, MD
(Former HSS Resident and Fellow)
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Carolina Orthopedics/Sports Medical
New Bern, NC

Planning Committee:
Allison Goldberg, MPA
Director, Professional Education
Education & Academic Affairs
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, NY

Kristin K. Warner, MD
(Former HSS Resident and Fellow)
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Carolina Orthopedics/Sports Medical
New Bern, NC

Scott W. Wolfe, MD
Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon
Chief Emeritus of the Hand and Upper Extremity Service
Director, Center for Brachial Plexus and Traumatic Nerve Injury
Hospital for Special Surgery
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, NY

Instructions for Course Evaluation and CME Credit

In order to earn CME credit, you must take a pre-test, watch the educational materials, successfully pass the post-test, and complete an online course evaluation

To access the activity, click the "next" button at the bottom of this page. At the end of the presentation, the final slide will contain a link to the post-test. There is a passing requirement of 70%. The pre-test is not scored. Once you complete the post-test and subsequent evaluation, a certificate will be available for you to print.

For questions related to the activity, please contact the HSS Office of Continuing Medical Education at 212.606.1547 or professionaleducation@hss.edu.


TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

For technical requirements related to this activity, please refer to the information below or contact Sonic Foundry.

Windows
  • Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 operating system
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or later, Firefox 2.0 or later, or Google Chrome 1.0 (Chrome is only supported on Mediasite version 5.0.3 and later) Web browser
  • Windows Media Player 9 or later
  • For Firefox and Chrome playback, Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 or later (viewers are prompted to install this plug-in when attempting to view a presentation)
  • Broadband internet connection (256 Kbps or more)

Mac (requires Mediasite 4.3 and later)
  • Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later operating system
  • Safari 2.0.4 or later or Firefox 2.0 or later Web browser
  • Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 or later (viewers are prompted to install this plug-in when attempting to view a presentation).
  • Broadband internet connection (256 Kbps or more)
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