General Anaesthesia |
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Whilst there are different types of anaesthesia, nearly all cardiac and thoracic surgical procedures are performed under general anaesthesia. A general anaesthetic is a drug-induced state of unconsciousness which facilitates surgical procedures to be performed without you having any sensations or memory of the procedure. These drugs have important effects on your body, particularly altering the breathing and circulation. Your anaesthetist will be present throughout to carefully monitor your bodies responses and adjust the level of anaesthetic carefully for the duration of the procedure to keep you safely anaesthetised.
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Cardiac Anaesthesia - General Information |
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Generally patients are admitted to hospital the day prior to their cardiac surgery. Your anaesthetist will usually visit you the evening prior to your operation. During this consultation they will take a thorough history, perform a physical examination and review the results of your investigations. Your medications will be reviewed, so please bring these into hospital with you. The details of the anaesthetic will be explained, and you will have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have. If your operation has been organised urgently then this visit may not always be possible, however you will always be reviewed by your anaesthetist before the operation. Some of the topics which will be covered during this consultation will include:
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Thoracic Anaesthesia - General Information |
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Often patients scheduled for thoracic procedures are admitted on the day of surgery. Your anaesthetist will usually meet you in the hospital pre-admission area. During this consultation your anaesthetist will take a history, perform an examination and review the results of your investigations. Please bring into hospital any medications you are currently taking to allow your anaesthetist to review these.
Please remember you must be fasting for a minimum of 6 hours before your scheduled surgery. Generally you should continue all your regular medications, including on the day of surgery. The exceptions to this may be blood thinning and diabetic treatments, if you are unsure please contact us. Your anaesthetist will discuss with you the specifics of the the anaesthetic for your thoracic procedure. This discussion may include the following, if relevant:
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Specialist Anaesthetists |
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An anaesthetist is a fully registered medical practitioner who has undergone further training to become a specialist doctor.
All anaesthetists have attended medical school and then completed an internship. Following this, most anaesthetists then spent several years working as a junior doctor in the public hospital system, often gaining experience in many other surgical and medical fields. After these "resident" years, anaesthetists then begin a specialist training program, which is a minimum of 5 years. There are many assessments and examinations required during this period of working and studying concurrently. From entering medical school to completion of specialist anaesthetic training takes a minimum of 12 years of clinical work and studies. After qualifying as a specialist anaesthetist, further studies and clinical experience are required to sub-specialise in the field of cardiac anaesthesia. Cardiac surgical procedures, by their nature, are generally more complex and involved than other general operations, and as such, the anaesthesia requirements are significantly more involved. One of the important monitoring tools utilised in many cardiac surgical procedures is the use of transoesophageal echocardiography, and all Australian cardiac anaesthetists must undergo further training and examinations to be qualified to utilise this important monitoring device. All MCA anaesthetists have undergone this further training and have extensive experience in complex cardiac surgical operations, including the utilisation of transoesophageal echocardiography. The following files have been produced by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) and provide further quality information about anaesthesia: |
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