Category:Anaesthetics

From Ganfyd

Introduction

The specialty or discipline of Anaesthetics is an integral and essential component of modern medicine. The word literally means "without feeling", first used in the modern context of anaesthetics by Sir J Y Simpson, the discoverer of chloroform's use in anaesthesia.

In the 21st century anaesthesia is a highly specialised field, with recognisable subspecialties:

• Paediatric anaesthesia
• Obstetric anaesthesia
• Cardiac anaesthesia
• Critical care medicine

and an overlap into the management of Chronic pain

However most medical practitioners should be sufficiently familiar with local anaesthesia to be able to provide it where required, and all with the concepts of critical care to recognise where specialist assistance is required.

Historical Aspects

History of anaesthesia

Basic Concepts

In addition to solid knowledge of Physiology and Pharmacology concepts, there are several anaesthetic-specific concepts that are a integral to anaesthetic training.

• Arterial blood gas interpretation
• Minimum Alveolar Concentration
• Physics of partial pressure of gases
• Measurement of cardiac output
• Fick principle
• Blood pressure regulation
• Intracranial pressure regulation

Pharmacology of Anaesthetic agents

In very basic terms general anaesthesia is "controlled poisoning", where the patient is rendered into a controlled state of unconsciousness using various anaesthetic drugs. These include:

• Induction agents (eg: Propofol)
• Opiates (eg: Fentanyl)
• Benzodiazepines (eg: Midazolam)
• volatile (inhaled) anaesthetics(eg: Sevoflurane, Nitrous oxide "laughing gas"
• Local anaesthetics

Clinical Care

• Preanaesthetic assessment
• Basic forms of anaesthesia
• Airway management
• Regional anaesthesia
• Crisis management
• Emergence and Post-anaesthetic complications
• Peri-operative care
• Anaesthesia awareness

Other Resources

• Wikithesia, a dedicated anaesthesia wiki with a UK focus.
• AnaesthesiaUK "an educational site with training resources for anaesthetic professionals. It provides interactive practice questions, journal abstracts and reference articles for the Primary FRCA, Final FRCA, Irish FCARCSI, American Board examinations..."