Dr Tzvetanka

I have graduated from the Higher Medical School in Sofia in 1979 with Hippocratus award for Best academic achievements. I have completed an internship in anaesthesia and intensive care in State Institute for Higher training of physicians in St. Petersburg in 1983. In 1985 I have defended my PhD on microcirculatory changes under ketamine anaesthesia. I have been serves until 1994 as Head of Anaesthetics Department and Associated Professor in the Clinic for Plastic Reconstructive surgery, affiliated to the Department of Surgery of the Higher Medical School in Sofia. I have completed the higher training in anaesthesia in the Welsh School of anaesthesia, becoming a Member in 1995, then a Fellow (in 1997)of the RCoA and obtained a my certificate of completed training in 1999. Since 1999 I have been appointed as Director of Pain Clinic/Consultant Anaesthetist to the current Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, based at Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport. Over the last 17 years I work full time in Pain Medicine. I have established and affirmed a multidisciplinary, specialised, patient-centered chronic pain service. I have developed all aspects of this service, including acute-on-chronic pain hospital ward rounds, the first in the UK specialised diabetic polyneuropathy pain clinic, outreach clinics for diagnosis and treatment of complex chronic pain conditions, pain management program, all aspects of interventional procedures, excluding implantable devices. I am always trying to motivate my team and my patients and I am organizing unique multi professional seminars with patients and health professionals' participation for team cohesion and patient empowering. In 2007 I became Foundation Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) to the Royal College of Anaesthetists. I have served as a Secretary to the Welsh Pain Society for many years. I was Health Board representative to the Welsh Consultants' committee of the Welsh BMA and I am still a member of the Executive committee of the Gwent Division of the BMA. I have been heavily involved in teaching and training and I am now the Local Pain Medicine Educational Supervisor to the FPM for Health Board. I am a Program Director of Msc Diploma in Pain Management to the University of South Wales, an on-line teaching with international multi professional participation. I am recognised clinical teacher in Cardiff School of medicine. I regularly lecture nationally and internationally. I am an author of 58 peer reviewed publications and presentations. My team and my patients have nominated me 4 times for Staff Recognition Awards.

I am a full time consultant in Pain Medicine with extensive expertise in diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary chronic pain conditions. My specific clinical interests are medically unexplained complex pain syndromes, neuropathic pain, especially painful diabetic neuropathies. I have founded and I am running the first in the UK multidisciplinary diabetic polyneuropathy pain clinic. I am proficient in all types of interventional pain procedures for non-malignant and malignant pain, including radiofrequency ablation or neuromodulation. I have special interest in treating patients with intractable facial pain, complex spinal conditions and failed back surgery, abdominal and pelvic pain. I am doing medico-legal work for high value claims on complex pain conditions as a result of personal injury or medical negligence. I am regularly presenting on the World congresses of International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), many other prestigious international forums and I lecture nationally and internationally. I am an author of 58 peer reviewed publications and presentations.