Essential Anaesthesia for Medical Students (2024)

Skip Nav Destination

Article navigation

Volume 86, Issue 5

May 1997

  • Previous Issue
  • Next Issue
  • Previous Article

Reviews of Educational Material| May 1997

JohnD. Tolmie, MD

JohnD. Tolmie, MD

Search for other works by this author on:

This Site

Author and Article Information

Associate Professor Emeritus of Anesthesia, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157.

  • Split-Screen
  • Views Icon Views
    • Article contents
    • Figures & tables
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Supplementary Data
    • Peer Review
  • Open the PDF for in another window
  • Cite Icon Cite

  • Search Site

Citation

JohnD. Tolmie; Essential Anaesthesia for Medical Students. Anesthesiology 1997; 86:1220 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/00000542-199705000-00036

Download citation file:

  • Ris (Zotero)
  • Reference Manager
  • EasyBib
  • Bookends
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • EndNote
  • RefWorks
  • BibTex
toolbar search

Search Dropdown Menu

Advanced Search

Topics:

students, medical

Essential Anaesthesia for Medical Students. By Mark Heining, David Bogod, and Alan Aitkenhead. Oxford University Press, 1996. Pages: 149. Price: $24.95.

Why can't textbooks be fun to read? A question often asked is now answered by Heining, Bogon, and Aitkenhead in Essential Anaesthesia For Medical Students. Their book is a brief, amusing, prose index to the specialty of anesthesia.

The authors stated goal in the preface is “to help undergraduate medical students during their attachment to the anaesthetic department.” They achieve this in 142 pages with 10 short chapters that can be covered even by a slow reader in 5.5 hours.

The book is divided into two parts. The first explains what the anesthesiologist does in the operating room, and the second describes what is done outside the operating room. Part one includes the usual general, local, and regional anesthesia information with additional coverage of anesthetic drugs, equipment, and monitoring procedures. Part two has good sections on preoperative evaluation, pain control, postoperative care, and resuscitation. All of these chapters are well indexed, follow a logical order, and are concise to a fault. The novice may find the mention of topics like Mendelson's syndrome, with no explanation of what the syndrome is, frustrating. Hopefully, self-directed learners will avail themselves of the end of chapter references or ask their teachers questions about the many unexplained items. Some translation from English into American may be necessary (e.g., drug names, kilo pascals, “nil by mouth,” and other phrases less familiar to colonials). The tables are especially informative and are placed close to their prose descriptions, thus avoiding much page turning. “Key Points” highlighted at the end of each chapter summarize nicely the important issues. Occasionally, captions under pictures could better coincide with the order of presentation in the prose. The photographs appear to have been done on a low budget, but they suffice to enhance the text and illustrate pertinent points. Unlike a US student-oriented anesthesia textbook of the 1970s, Essential Anaesthesia For Medical Students does not have photographs exhibiting “bare essentials” of attractive young models. This should make it a less controversial and more acceptable book.

Less acceptable though, were innuendoes in the first chapter, such as “protected from interference by the surgeon and his henchmen,” and “keeping the patient alive despite ….. the excesses of the surgeon.” Perhaps meant to be amusing, they are demeaning, set a poor example of professionalism, and contribute to tribal skirmishes between specialists. This was the only displeasing feature in an otherwise charming book.

Of US medical schools, only an enlightened 31 (25%) have required clerkships in anesthesiology. Others may offer elective experiences, and all would do well to consider this book as a syllabus for an anesthesia rotation. Not since Anaesthetics For Medical Students by Gordon Ostlere of “Doctor in the House” fame has such a readable text been offered to undergraduate students of anesthesia.

John D. Tolmie, M.D.

Associate Professor Emeritus of Anesthesia; Bowman Gray School of Medicine

Medical Center Boulevard; Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157

Copyright 1997 by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.

2,063 Views

View Metrics

×

Citing articles via

Google Scholar

Most Viewed

2022 American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Guidelines for Management of the Difficult Airway

Practice Guidelines for Preoperative Fasting and the Use of Pharmacologic Agents to Reduce the Risk of Pulmonary Aspiration: Application to Healthy Patients Undergoing Elective Procedures: An Updated Report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Preoperative Fasting and the Use of Pharmacologic Agents to Reduce the Risk of Pulmonary Aspiration

Practice Guidelines for Moderate Procedural Sedation and Analgesia 2018: A Report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Moderate Procedural Sedation and Analgesia, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American College of Radiology, American Dental Association, American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, and Society of Interventional Radiology

Most Cited

ASA Physical Status Classifications: A Study of Consistency of Ratings

STOP Questionnaire: A Tool to Screen Patients for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Uptake of Halothane by the Human Body

Email alerts

Article Activity Alert

Online First Alert

Anesthesiology Featured Articles Alert

Close Modal

Related Articles

Evaluation of the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship Program Participants’ Scholarly Activity and Career Choices

Anesthesiology (May 2016)

Simulation Technology: A Comparison of Experiential and Visual Learning for Undergraduate Medical Students

Anesthesiology (January 2002)

Reliability and Validity of a Simulation-based Acute Care Skills Assessment for Medical Students and Residents

Anesthesiology (December 2003)

Pediatric Critical Care: The Essentials.

Anesthesiology (August 2000)

Essentials of Trauma Anesthesia

Anesthesiology (August 2014)

Essential Anaesthesia for Medical Students (2024)

FAQs

Essential Anaesthesia for Medical Students? ›

The primary goal of general anesthesia is to render a patient unconscious and unable to feel painful stimuli while controlling autonomic reflexes. There are five main classes of anesthetic agents: intravenous (IV) anesthetics, inhalational anesthetics, IV sedatives, synthetic opioids, and neuromuscular blocking drugs.

What are the 5 types of general anesthesia? ›

The primary goal of general anesthesia is to render a patient unconscious and unable to feel painful stimuli while controlling autonomic reflexes. There are five main classes of anesthetic agents: intravenous (IV) anesthetics, inhalational anesthetics, IV sedatives, synthetic opioids, and neuromuscular blocking drugs.

What is medical necessity for anesthesia? ›

The ability to show medical necessity in anesthesia hinges on the ability to document that the patient has one or more comorbidities that necessitate anesthesia services beyond sedation (which is usually provided by the clinician performing the procedure). In surgery, need is justified by the diagnosis.

What are the most important anesthesia drugs? ›

Propofol, etomidate, and ketamine are the intravenous (IV) sedative-hypnotic agents commonly used to induce general anesthesia (table 1), while adjuvant agents (eg, opioids, lidocaine, midazolam, and volatile anesthetics) are often used to supplement the effects of the primary sedative-hypnotic induction agent (table 2 ...

What is the prerequisite of general anesthesia? ›

Requirement of anaesthesia include: thorough pre-anaesthetic assessment of fitness. patient consent. hypnosis or unconsciousness - a sleep-like state in which there is unawareness of surroundings and suppression of reflexes.

What are the four major types of anesthesia? ›

There are four main categories of anesthesia used during surgery and other procedures: general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, sedation (sometimes called "monitored anesthesia care"), and local anesthesia. Sometimes patients may choose which type of anesthesia will be used.

What is the most common general Anaesthetic? ›

Intravenous Agents: Propofol (Diprivan®), Ketamine, Etomidate. Propofol (Diprivan®) is the most commonly used IV general anesthetic. In lower doses, it induces sleep while allowing a patient to continue breathing on their own.

What is the strongest anesthetic for surgery? ›

General anesthesia – This is the most powerful form of anesthesia and puts patients to sleep during surgery. It is typically administered through a breathing mask or IV and used for complex, time-consuming surgeries such as a hip replacement.

What is the most safe anesthesia? ›

The safest type of anesthesia is local anesthesia, an injection of medication that numbs a small area of the body where the procedure is being performed. Rarely, a patient will experience pain or itching where the medication was injected.

What is the most commonly abused substance among anesthesia providers? ›

Over the past 40 years, the incidence of SUD in anesthesia care providers (ACPs) has been increasing. Opioids remain the most commonly misused medication by ACPs, but propofol misuse is also common and increasing in incidence.

Who should not get general anesthesia? ›

Older adults or those with serious medical problems are at increased risk of confusion after surgery. They're also at higher risk of pneumonia, stroke or a heart attack after surgery. This is particularly true if they're undergoing more-extensive procedures.

What are the odds of not waking up from anesthesia? ›

First and foremost, both cases are extremely, extremely rare. In fact, the likelihood of someone dying under anesthesia is less than 1 in 100,000. This is the same as 0.0001% of a chance. To put this into perspective, you're twice as likely to be out for a walk and hit and killed by a car (creepy, we know).

Why does propofol burn so bad when injected? ›

Propofol belongs to the group of phenols that can directly irritate the skin, mucous membrane and venous intima and could immediately stimulate nociceptors and free nerve endings [12]. The concentration of aqueous free propofol is related to injection pain.

What is the strongest type of anesthesia? ›

General anesthesia – This is the most powerful form of anesthesia and puts patients to sleep during surgery. It is typically administered through a breathing mask or IV and used for complex, time-consuming surgeries such as a hip replacement.

Do you always get intubated with general anesthesia? ›

There are certain situations when you might expect to be intubated, such as when you're having a planned surgery. General anesthesia can stop you from breathing naturally, so an anesthesiologist might intubate you to ensure that vital oxygen is delivered to your body while you're unconscious.

What is the choice of general anesthesia? ›

General anaesthesia can be administered either by volatile agents for inhalation, intravenous hypnotics, potent opioids or a combination (often used).

Which is safer, spinal or general anesthesia? ›

Why have a Spinal? Advantages over a general anaesthetic include: Less risk of chest infection after surgery. Less harmful effect on your lungs and breathing.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Rob Wisoky

Last Updated:

Views: 6158

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rob Wisoky

Birthday: 1994-09-30

Address: 5789 Michel Vista, West Domenic, OR 80464-9452

Phone: +97313824072371

Job: Education Orchestrator

Hobby: Lockpicking, Crocheting, Baton twirling, Video gaming, Jogging, Whittling, Model building

Introduction: My name is Rob Wisoky, I am a smiling, helpful, encouraging, zealous, energetic, faithful, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.