Dr. Carles García Vitoria

MD, PhD · Specialist in Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Therapy · Chronic Pain Medicine, Regional Anaesthesia and Neuromodulation. Quirónsalud Valencia Hospital
Clinical area
Locomotive System Department

Dr. Carles García Vitoria is a specialist in Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Therapy with a clinical and academic profile centred on regional anaesthesia, interventional chronic pain medicine and neuromodulation. He completed his MIR residency in Anaesthesiology at Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset (Valencia) and holds a PhD (Doctor Cum Laude) in Medicine from the Universitat de València, in the area of neuroscience.

He is the Founder and Director of Pain Genius, a specialised practice in advanced ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia and interventional chronic pain treatment, and serves as Anaesthesiologist for orthopaedic and trauma surgery at Clínica Quirónsalud Valencia. He additionally works as a Specialist in Pain Therapy at the Hospital Intermutual de Levante (Centro de Rehabilitación de Levante), and acts as Scientific Advisor for innovative MedTech companies developing neurostimulation and dural sealing devices.

His practice is particularly focused on ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia, advanced interventional techniques for chronic pain (including lumbar sympathetic blocks, radiofrequency, and spinal cord stimulation), and the perioperative management of complex orthopaedic, trauma and reconstructive surgery. He has performed more than 8,000 ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia and interventional pain procedures.

He has developed and disseminated novel approaches in regional anaesthesia, including the transcostoclavicular approach to the brachial plexus, and is the inventor of two patented medical devices: a bioabsorbable dural sealing system and a spinal cord stimulation device. He has been recipient of national and European competitive research grants exceeding €800,000.

Anaesthesiology and Pain Therapy - Regional Anaesthesia, Interventional Pain and Neuromodulation

  • Advanced ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia of the upper and lower limbs
  • Continuous peripheral nerve blocks and perineural catheter techniques
  • Interventional treatment of chronic pain: lumbar sympathetic blocks, sacroiliac and facet joint procedures, radiofrequency ablation
  • Spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion stimulation; intrathecal neuromodulation
  • Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and neuropathic pain management
  • Perioperative anaesthesia for orthopaedic, trauma and reconstructive surgery
  • Management and prevention of post-dural puncture complications
  • Difficult airway and percutaneous tracheostomy

Specialties treated:

Chronic low back pain | Lumbar and cervical radicular pain | Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) | Neuropathic pain | Failed back surgery syndrome | Sympathetic-mediated pain | Post-surgical and post-traumatic chronic pain | Cancer pain | Headache and craniofacial pain | Perioperative pain for orthopaedic, trauma and reconstructive surgery | Post-dural puncture headache.

HQSValencia_Garcia

Centros de los Médicos Dr. Carles García Vitoria

Internacional 2019: Centros a los que pertenezca un médico.

Professional experience

Current and recent positions

  • Present: Founder and Director, Pain Genius S.L. - Anaesthesiologist focused on advanced regional anaesthesia and interventional chronic pain medicine.
  • Present: Anaesthesiologist for orthopaedic and trauma surgery, Clínica Quirónsalud Valencia.
  • Present: Specialist in Pain Therapy, Department of Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Therapy, Hospital Intermutual de Levante - Centro de Rehabilitación de Levante (Valencia).
  • Present: Scientific Advisor, Spinally Medical S.L. - Strategic and clinical advisor for the development of spinal cord stimulation devices (prototyping, animal testing and device redesign).
  • Present: Scientific Advisor and Speaker, Grunenthal Pharma.

Previous positions

  • 2023 - 2024: Scientific Advisor, Matermend.
  • 2019 - 2023: Chief Executive Officer, Pulpo Software S.L.
  • 2018 - 2022: Researcher, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO).
  • 2016 - 2017: Anaesthesiology Specialist, Hospital Francesc de Borja (Gandía).
  • 2016: Anaesthesiology Specialist, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset (Valencia).
  • 2012 - 2016: Resident in Anaesthesiology (MIR programme), Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset (Valencia).

Awards, recognitions and innovation leadership

  • Forbes 30 Under 30 - Spain.
  • MIT Innovator Under 35 - Europe (MIT Technology Review).
  • MIT IDEA² Award (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston) for the DuraLock medical device project.
  • Extraordinary Award for Academic Performance, Generalitat Valenciana.
  • Recipient of national and European competitive research grants exceeding €800,000 (CDTI, FIPSE, FISABIO, EIT Health, ESRA Research Grant, among others).
  • Inventor on two granted patents in the field of neuroscience: spinal cord stimulation (EP 3 909 640) and dural sealing system (P201730626).
Membership in scientific societies
  • SEDAR - Spanish Society of Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Therapy
  • ESRA - European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy
  • WIP - World Institute of Pain (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice)
  • EIT Health Alumni Network
Research and teaching
  • Author and co-author of multiple peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and technical articles in regional anaesthesia, interventional pain medicine, neuromodulation and management of dural puncture complications.
  • Published in leading journals including Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Anesthesiology, Pain Practice, Clinical Anatomy, International Journal of Hyperthermia, Sensors, Revista Española de Anestesiología y Reanimación and Trends in Anaesthesia and Critical Care.
  • Editor-in-Chief of the international academic work "500 ANESTESIAS - Claves en el manejo de los procedimientos anestésicos más frecuentes" (Editorial Médica Panamericana, 2021; ISBN 9788491102441), with co-authorship in more than 100 book chapters.
  • Principal Investigator in competitive R&D projects funded by CDTI, FIPSE, EIT Health, FISABIO and ESRA, with cumulative funding above €800,000.
  • Inventor and developer of two patented medical devices: a bioabsorbable dural sealing system and an intrathecal/spinal cord neurostimulation device.
  • Recognised expert and instructor in ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia and interventional chronic pain procedures (more than 8,000 procedures performed).

Selected publications and book chapters

  • García Vitoria C, García Rosselló M, García Redondo JI, Gutiérrez Bautista AJ, De Andrés Ibáñez J, Boezaart A, Reina MA. Morphology of antemortem dural puncture healing: an ex vivo sheep study. Reg Anesth Pain Med. BMJ, 2021. DOI: 10.1136/rapm-2020-102225.
  • García Vitoria C, García Rosselló M, Reina MA, De Andrés Ibáñez J, Gutiérrez Bautista AJ, Benet Esteve V, García Redondo JI. Validation of a bioabsorbable device that seals perforations after Tuohy needle dural puncture in an ovine model. Reg Anesth Pain Med. BMJ, 2021.
  • García Vitoria C, López Navarro AM. In reply to: Costoclavicular Approach to the Supraclavicular Fossa: Journey behind the Dark Side of the Moon (Clavicle). Anesthesiology. 2018;128:1259-1261.
  • García Vitoria C, Vizuete del Río J, López Navarro AM, Bosch Velázquez M. Costoclavicular Space. A Reliable Gate for Continuous Regional Anesthesia Catheter Insertion. Anesthesiology. 2017.
  • García Vitoria C, López Navarro AM, Martínez Pérez C, Rodríguez Gimillo P. Bloqueo continuo del plexo braquial: descripción del abordaje transcostoclavicular. Rev Cubana Anestesiol Reanim. 2017;16.
  • Bovaira M, Cañada-Soriano M, García-Vitoria C, Calvo A, De Andrés JA, Moratal D, Priego-Quesada JI. Clinical results of lumbar sympathetic blocks in lower limb complex regional pain syndrome using infrared thermography as a support tool. Pain Pract. 2023.
  • Reina MA, Carrera A, García Vitoria C, Bovaira Forner MT. Human lumbar sympathetic blockade: An anatomical study to address potential block failure. Clinical Anatomy. 2022.
  • Irastorza R, Bovaira MT, García-Vitoria C, Muñoz V, Berjano E. Effect of the relative position of electrode and stellate ganglion during thermal radiofrequency ablation: a simulation study. Int J Hyperthermia. 2021;38(1):1502-1511.
  • Cañada-Soriano M, Priego-Quesada JI, Bovaira MT, García-Vitoria C, Salvador Palmer R, Cibrián Ortiz de Anda RM, Moratal D. Quantitative Analysis of Real-Time Infrared Thermography for the Assessment of Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks: A Preliminary Study. Sensors. 2021;21:3573.
  • Cañada-Soriano M, Priego-Quesada JI, Bovaira MT, García Vitoria C. Skin Temperature Assessment During Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks by Infrared Thermography. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc (EMBC). 2021;2822-2825.
  • García Vitoria C, Guillén Bañuelos A, De Andrés Ibáñez J, Argente Navarro MP (eds.). 500 ANESTESIAS - Claves en el manejo de los procedimientos anestésicos más frecuentes. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana; 2021. ISBN 9788491102441.
  • García Vitoria C, Rauer Alcover F, Requena Ferriol ME. Hombro. In: Tratado COT. Vol. 1, pp. 425-442. Marbán, 2025.
  • García Vitoria C. Dolor axial de origen lumbar. In: Manual de tratamiento del dolor crónico para médicos de primaria. pp. 213-259. Palmero Ediciones, 2016. ISBN 978-84-617-7812-6.

Patents

  • García Vitoria C, Durá Cantero. Medical Device for Spinal Cord Stimulation. European Patent EP 3 909 640 A1. Filed 12/05/2020; granted 12/11/2022. Holder: Surgicen S.L.
  • García Vitoria C, Atienza Vicente CM, Mollà Doménech F, Primo Capella VJ. Sistema de Sellado Dural. Spanish Patent P201730626. Granted 19/04/2017. Holder: FISABIO.

Teaching

  • Doctoral thesis supervisor (Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera): "Manejo perioperatorio de Ovis aries en procedimientos de técnicas neuroaxiales".
  • Faculty member of the Universitario Expert Programme in Locoregional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (Valencia).
  • Regular speaker, instructor and panellist at national and international congresses and practical workshops on regional anaesthesia, interventional pain and neuromodulation (ESRA, SEDAR, WIP, IEEE EMBC, among others).
  • Member of the MIT IDEA² Panel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Boston, USA).
  • Member of the Innovation Committee, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset (Valencia).
Stay in foreign centers

Medical education and specialist training

  • Degree in Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de València. Class of 2005-2011.
  • Specialist in Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Therapy after MIR residency at Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia, 2012-2016.
  • PhD in Medicine (Doctor Cum Laude), Universitat de València - Fundación General de la Universitat de València, 2024. Research focus: neuroscience and dural puncture sealing.
  • Master's Degree in Pain Treatment, Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, 2016.
  • University Expert in Locoregional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (Valencia), 2021.
  • Executive MBA, EDEM Escuela de Empresarios (Valencia), 2022.

International fellowships, programmes and observerships

  • 2016: DuraLock Project - Visiting researcher / fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA, with FIPSE international acceleration funding.
  • 2023: MedTech Bootcamp 2023, EIT Health, Munich, Germany.
  • Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP), World Institute of Pain - examination held in Istanbul, Turkey.
  • International Commercial Acceleration Programme, FIPSE (Madrid).
  • Scale Up Programme, Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación (Valencia), 2021.
Languages for clinical practice
  • Spanish - native (C2)
  • Catalan - native (C2)
  • English - advanced/proficient (C1-C2)
  • Italian - upper intermediate (B2-C1)