A guide for anaesthetic trainees by Dr Claire Balancing specialist training and parenting is challenging, but it is increasingly common and increasingly supported. Many doctors complete specialist training while raising children. This article aims to outline practical advice, parental leave entitlements, and training considerations for doctors in specialist training in Victoria, with a focus on […]
By Dr Zahin It’s 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon. You still haven’t finished your notes from clinic, there are scripts waiting to be signed, and you’re hoping to get through it all before handover. But your pager goes off: “Please review Mrs Smith in bed 16, complaining of 8/10 pain.” Mrs Smith has been in […]
By Dr Chris Covelli Overview Regional anaesthesia is an important component of modern perioperative care, providing effective analgesia while reducing opioid use and improving recovery. The use of ultrasound guidance has significantly improved the safety and accuracy of nerve blocks by allowing clinicians to visualise anatomical structures in real time. However, identifying nerves on ultrasound […]
By Toby Thomas, Zheng Cheng Zhu Purpose of the pre-anaesthetic assessment: Identify patients who have increased peri-operative risk; Diagnose, assess, and optimise patient comorbidities to minimise peri-operative risk; Plan and prepare for the patient’s perioperative journey; Encourage patient-centred discussion regarding risk and benefit of surgery and to reach a decision on whether to proceed […]
By Archit Vora, Zheng Cheng Zhu Key reference: Chua MJ, Lersch F, Chua AWY, Kumar CM, Eke T. Sub-Tenon’s anaesthesia for modern eye surgery-clinicians’ perspective, 30 years after re-introduction. Eye (Lond). 2021;35(5):1295-1304. doi:10.1038/s41433-021-01412-5 Demonstration of sub-Tenon block can be found on ABCs of Anaesthesia Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_bxA9GiGNs Quick Summary Contemporary ophthalmic surgeries are increasingly being […]
By Monique Findlay, Zheng Cheng Zhu Article Reference: Whately, Y. and Stead, M. (2023) ‘Perioperative management of patients on naltrexone’, Australasian anaesthesia 2023. Edited by B. Cheung. doi:https://doi.org/10.60115/11055/1180. Key Points Naltrexone is a long-acting opioid receptor antagonist, used commonly to manage alcohol use disorder. Due to its opioid receptor antagonism, naltrexone presents challenges for managing […]
Understanding perioperative hypothermia By Dr Jessica Spurio Key reference: Riley, C. and J. Andrzejowski (2018). “Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia.” BJA Education 18(8): 227-233. Quick Summary Hypothermia is defined as a core body temperature below 36°C. Perioperative hypothermia is a common consequence of general and regional anaesthesia, occurring due to the effect of anaesthesia on thermoregulatory mechanisms. […]
By Dr Hojat Bahadori, Zheng Cheng Zhu Key Reference Iglesias, I. Kaplan’s Cardiac Anesthesia: Perioperative and Critical Care, 8th Edition. Can J Anesth/J Can Anesth 71, 1438–1439 (2024) Background on Cardiac Bypass Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) maintains systemic circulation and oxygenation during cardiac surgeries while the heart is stopped and isolated. In short, venous blood is […]
By Ramis Hassan, Zheng Cheng Zhu Key reference: Athanassoglou V, Rogers A, Hofmeyr R. In-hospital management of the airway in trauma. BJA Educ. 2024;24(7):238-44. Available from: https://www.bjaed.org/article/S2058-5349(24)00031-3/fulltext Preamble You are the anaesthetic registrar on-call for a major trauma hospital. After your third morning coffee, your pager buzzes from ED resus for a trauma call. On […]
By Zheng Cheng Zhu Key reference: Karamchandani et al. (2024). Tracheal intubation in critically ill adults with a physiologically difficult airway. An international Delphi study. Intensive care medicine, 50(10), 1563–1579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-024-07578-2 Quick Summary The “physiologically difficult airway” (PDA) was first coined by Mosier et al. in 2015, filling a conceptual gap in the management of […]