Perioperative Medicine: An expanding topic to be taught to medical students PDF

Keywords

medicine, anaesthetist, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

Abstract

A future physician must no longer view the anaesthetist as only the figure at the head of the operating theatre table, but rather as a physician involved in the care of the surgical patient through the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods. Methods: These concepts rather than the pharmacology are vital for all physicians regardless of speciality, and thus are stressed. Accordingly, technical skills include airway management and intravenous access. The clerkship should expand these concepts, while encouraging students to explore areas of interest. Discussion: Specific information that should be covered in a clinical Perioperative Medicine course includes history and preoperative evaluation, laboratory testing, cardiovascular pharmacology, assessment and management of ventilation and management of subsequent pain. At the Arabian Gulf University in the 2-week Anaesthesia Clerkship, the students are taught to assess ventilation, both with physical diagnosis and with monitors. They are required to perform bag-mask ventilation along with endotracheal intubation with both the Miller and Macintosh laryngoscope blades. In the 1 month elective course, enhanced airway instruction includes additional experience with difficult intubations and mask ventilation, fiber optic intubation, laryngeal mask insertion, light wand intubation, and percutaneous cricothyrotomy. The teaching of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is also within the domain of the perioperative physician. It is important that all physicians know the basics of resuscitation and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).