Anesthesiology: The Backbone of Surgery

Anaesthesia is the area of medicine that focuses on treating pain before, during, or following surgery. This area of medicine is known as anesthesiology. Anesthesiologists are medical professionals with specialised training in this field. The drugs given are known as anaesthesia. Nevertheless, nomenclature may differ by region or continent. For instance, in some places, anesthesiologists may be referred to as anaesthetists and the drugs they provide as anaesthetics.

Anesthesiologists often receive training after completing medical school, which can last anywhere between eight and twelve years, depending on the nation.  Their rigorous training requires in-depth learning of fundamental concepts in important areas, such as pharmacokinetics, or the impact of a drug on the body, and pharmacodynamics, or the impact of a drug on the body. Anesthesiologists need to be knowledgeable on mechanical ventilation, various physiological monitoring devices, neuroanatomy, and other general fields of medicine in addition to pharmacology.

What types of anaesthesia do anesthesiologists provide?

The following types of anaesthetic care are typically provided by anesthesiologists:

General anaesthesia

You go unconscious after receiving this sort of anaesthetic through an IV or an anaesthesia mask especially whilst undergoing major procedures like knee replacements or open heart surgery.

Monitored anaesthesia or IV sedation

Following IV sedation, you feel peaceful, which might result in varying levels of consciousness. Depending on the approach, the level of sedation can range from mild (leaving you sleepy but able to communicate) to deep (causing you to forget the treatment). Colonoscopies and other minimally invasive procedures are frequently performed under this sort of anaesthetic. Local or regional anaesthesia may be used with IV sedation.

Regional anaesthesia

To numb a major region of the body, such as the area below the waist, a catheter or a shot are utilised. Although you will be awake, the surgical area won’t be perceptible. When giving birth and undergoing procedures on the arm, leg, or abdomen, this type of anaesthesia, which includes spinal blocks and epidurals, is frequently used.

Local anaesthetic

A tiny portion of the body where the procedure is being done is numbed by this injection to avoid discomfort, and wake aware after a few hours. This is frequently employed for procedures including mole removal, sewing severe cuts, and setting fractured bones.

Anesthesiologist Care During Surgery

In addition to relieving pain before, during, and after surgery, anesthesiologists perform a variety of other crucial tasks.

Before surgery

Before the procedure, a day or week your anesthesiologist will make sure you are fit for the operation and prepare you for it by asking you in-depth questions about your health history, examining you out, and reviewing test findings. Your anesthesiologist will respond to any inquiries you have regarding the procedure and anaesthesia. Tell the anesthesiologist about any health conditions you have, such as heart disease, diabetes, or asthma, the prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal supplements you are taking, and whether you have ever experienced issues or concerns with anaesthesia. Ask questions throughout this time. As you get ready for surgery, feeling comfortable and secure about your care will help. To guarantee your effective anaesthesia, the anesthesiologist will build a strategy just for you.

During surgery

Working alone or with an anaesthetic Care Team, the anesthesiologist controls your pain while carefully monitoring your anaesthetic and essential bodily processes during the surgery. Your anesthesiologist will take care of any chronic ailments you have, such as asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart issues, as well as any health complexities that arise at the time of surgery.

After surgery

Your respiration, circulation, degree of consciousness, and oxygen saturation are all monitored in the recovery area by the anesthesiologist, who is also on hand in case of any questions or emergencies. When you have fully recovered from the effects of anaesthetic and are prepared to go home, be transferred to a regular hospital room, or be placed in the intensive care unit, the anesthesiologist typically makes this decision. The anesthesiologist along with the surgeon develops a strategy to refine the recovery journey to help with pain management when you return home.

How To Become An Anaesthetist?

If you want to pursue this professional route, think about doing the following actions:

Clear the medical entrance exam after 10+2

You must first complete your higher secondary school (10+2) in the science stream with physics, chemistry, and biology as the required subjects in order to start a career in anesthesiology. This qualifies you to take the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) National Eligibility cum admission Test (NEET), a popular medical admission exam. You can enrol in a medical college and pursue the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme after passing the NEET.

Earn an MBBS degree

In order to become an anaesthetist, you must complete the MBBS programme. The course lasts five and a half years, including its internship year. You will learn the fundamentals of anaesthesia during your MBBS curriculum, including anaesthetic technology and anaesthesia methods in an operating room. An MBBS degree, which stands for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, qualifies you for postgraduate study.

Pursue additional medical schooling

You are qualified to enrol in a postgraduate study in anaesthesia once you have earned your MBBS. To get accepted at this point into a post-graduate programme in anaesthesia, you must pass the National Eligibility Entrance Test (Postgraduate), also known as the NEET-PG medical entrance exam. Some universities also need a minimum MBBS score of 50%. You will get practical instruction on various anaesthetic techniques and how to monitor patients during anaesthesia during your post-graduation.

Even if you studied general medicine or science in your MBBS programme, extra medical training will prepare you to concentrate completely on anesthesiology. You are prepared to provide care in many different areas of the medical industry with this expertise.

Undergo a residency program

Start working as an anaesthetist in a residency programme after finishing all relevant and necessary courses. These programmes offer training and work experience. Your decision about the type of care you want to concentrate on during your career will be aided by this experience.

Choose a speciality

You might decide to concentrate in a certain population or kind of anaesthesia as a result of the residency programme you choose to enrol in. There are alternatives for furthering your study, whether you wish to specialise in dealing with newborns or giving cardiac anaesthetic. You could choose to start working without a specialism or enrol in a training programme at a hospital or clinic to learn a specific skill set.

Although many anaesthetic professionals opt to work in surgery, there are several alternative career options available. These may consist of:

  • Associate consultant
  • Anaesthesia technician
  • Anesthesiologist assistant
  • Clinical associate
  • Medical consultant
  • Nurse anaesthetist

The profession is underestimated primarily because the technicians are always in the backdrop of the surgery. However just think how will a surgeon perform a surgery when you are wide awake with no epidural for pain management. The profession as you observed above is an expense and acts as a backbone of a surgery and thus the average salary of an anaesthetist is ₹11,74,715 per year (as per indeed survey). If you are an aspirant of the profession and wish to begin your journey visit us at RajaRajeshwari Medical College and Hospital and book your seat today.

Encephalitis (CHAMKI Fever) The Deadly Fever That Has Killed Over 150 Children In Bihar And Jharkhand Already

The news of around 150 children dead due to the chamki fever is already a topic of concern present day. The Supreme Court also has taken notice of this serious or grave situation and directed Center to immediately form a medical expert team for the treatment of children having AES.

An inflammation of brain, encephalitis commonly known as chamki fever is the inflammation of brain. It is caused by viral infection and affects the nervous system. There are two main types of Encephalitis namely Primary and Secondary. This fever usually occurs in kids and youngsters below 15 years of age.

The primary is caused due to direct viral infection to the brain while secondary is a result of a weak immune system and can be a result of infection in any part of the body. Presently, there’s an outbreak of this fever in Bihar and Jharkhand. Recently, even Bengal has reported three cases of AES or Chamki of which one is critical.

Causes

AES is known to be a viral infection but can occur due to mosquito borne viruses, Zika or Nipah Virus, Rabis virus, childhood infections, enteroviruses and herpes virus as well. In India the most commonly known AES causing virus is the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) as almost 5 -35% cases are that of JE Virus AES. Though, this year only two cases are due to the JE Virus and exact cause of so many deaths is not known. What is known is that the deaths were caused by hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels)

Symptoms

At the initial stage the symptoms are similar to mild flu and include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain. Though in the later or severe stage it leads to hallucinations, agitation, confusion, muscle weakness, hearing difficulties paralysis, sensation loss, vomiting, poor eating, body stiffness, skull bulging and more.

Treatment

There is not medicine yet for this fever and the mild one can be brought down through adequate rest and continuous fluid intake. Drugs like Tylenol, Aleve and Advil also can be used. Medications like Foscavir, Cytoven and Zovirax can be used for the viral Encephalitis only on prescription basis. Do not consume any medications with Doctors consult. At times supportive care like breathing assistance, intravenous fluids to keep the person hydrated, anti-convulsant and anti-inflammatory drugs against seizures and swelling could be required.

Prevention

Prevention is always better and hence to avoid getting this condition try to maintain hygiene at home, clean your hands properly after you visit the toilet and before eating food. Also, drink clean water and use mosquito nets and repellants when sleeping.

*Sourced from the Internet

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Nipah Virus Again On The Prowl In Kerala – All You Need To Know

Nipah Virus is again on the Prowl in Kerala. It’s just a year back that this Virus created a Havoc in the state and went on a killing Spree. The Virus with a fatality rate of over 88% killed 21 people of the 23 cases that were registered in Kerala in 2018 and scared the hell out of the citizens. This year already 5 people are suspected to have contracted the NIV and under isolation already. So, primarily, it is a good idea to avoid travel to and around the region where the Nipah outbreak has just started. Also, here’s all you need to know about this deadly condition. The Nipah infection is associated with Pteropus Bats genus as natural hosts and was first discovered in Malaysia and Singapore among pig farmers. It occurred due to close contact with pigs and is also known to spread through infected fruit bats besides humans and others like dogs, cats, rodents and horses as well. Though, the most likely ones are known to be humans, bats and pigs. The mortality rates in pigs is not high inspite of the fact that the infection rate is In India, the first NIV outbreak occurred in Siliguri West Bengal in the year 2001, taking lives of 45 people out of the 68 detected. Then it surfaced again in 2007, killing all the 5 people known to have contracted the virus.

There is no denial that the Nipah Virus is highly fatal and humans contract it through either the body fluids of pigs, exposure to secretion of sick pigs or corpses. Human to Human contraction occurs through body fluids, saliva of the patient and corpse as well. The fruit bat to human infection is known to spread by consuming raw date palm sap that are contaminated through the saliva or the urine of bats. Even livestock that feeds on wild fruits contaminated via bats with NIV.

Nipah infection can be variable as far as symptoms are concerned right from being asymptomatic to getting fata encephalitis or acute respiratory infection. As of now there is no vaccine or treatment available for humans as well as animals. Even the 2018 Annual Review of WHO R&D Blueprint list has a mention that this condition needs an emergency and speedy research as well as development. The only way at present is to make people aware about the risk factors and the precautionary measures to be taken in order to avoid the outbreak.

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*Sourced from the Internet

Death Penalty in India – 81% Rise in 2016

With the crime rate increasing day by day in maniifolds, there is little choice left with the justice courts in India but to award death sentences to set solid examples of intolerence against crimes particularly heinous ones like rape and murder of innocent children and females. A report released by Amnesty internal shows that in 2016 around 175 death sentences were awarded in India as compared to 75 in 2015. These sentences have been awarded for mainly murder related crimes. Though executions of the death sentences allocated in 2016 wasn’t carried out in that year, there were 400 prisoners already in pipeline for execution. India also imposes death penalties on hijacking that involves death of hostages, anyone involved in the offense or security personnel. It is also amongst the few countries to impose death sentences in drug related crimes.

On the other hand Amnesty’s report shows a considerable drop in death sentences across the world and even in our neighboring country Pakistan records 73% decreases in death sentences in 2016 with 360 executions. Amnesty International reported that in total 1032 criminals were executed for various crimes across 23 countries in the world in 2016 against 1634 across 25 countries in 2015. So, again even globally there was a dip in the death sentence imposition. The most number of executions took place in China followed by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan. But, the number of executions carried out China is not know because as per the country’s policy that data is kept secret.

Besides Pakistan, India’s other two neighbors namely Bangladesh and Srilanka executed 245 and 79. The one country that is out of the list of the biggest executioners is USA, which listed 7th in 2016 with only 20 executions, its lowest since 1991.

Having said this, there have been immense efforts for abolishing the law of capital punishments, even though these punishments have been inforce since times unknown. There are many countries in the world which have abolished this law from their justice system as well. This includes the very pioneers namely Michigan, the first to initiate this abolishing followed by Venezuela and Portugal that too ages back in 1867. As on day around 102 countries of the world still practice have completely abolished this punishment while 58 countries still practice it

CHILDHOOD OBESITY – WHAT SHOULD PARENTS DO?

Childhood Obesity – Cause for Concern

Morning – Sugar and chocolate based Breakfast

Afternoon- Burgers, Snacks, Anything with lots of Cheese, Cool drinks, Ice creams

Evening – Pizza with aerated drinks, lot of junk thrown in between

Now a days this seems to be the pattern of the eating habits of our children, especially urban based children. Going by the recent figures, it can be factually stated that Childhood Obesity is catching up like wild fire across borders. It has already reached epidemic proportions in some developed countries and there is no denying that developing countries are also experiencing it now.

With the rise in the number of both parents working and the careers being time and energy demanding, the parents are unable to monitor the food taken by their children at home.

The children especially in the age group of 6 yrs to 14 yrs are those who are bearing the brunt of this. Earlier what was perceived to be the tale of developed countries like America and Europe, has now spread across the developing countries like India with more and more children being caught in the claws of childhood obesity.

What should the parents do? Is it a regular feature in Nuclear families or is prevalent everywhere? Are the working parents guilty of providing unrestricted freedom to the children? Is it happening in the affluent households?

We welcome your views.

ISACON 2015

Rajarajeshwari Medical College was well represented at the anesthesia national conference held in Jaipur, ISACON 2015 from December 26th to 29th. Three of our post graduates presented papers. Dr. Antara Banerji, Dr. Vikyath Jain and Dr. Praveen H.

DrVikyath Jain and Dr. Praveen had the privilege of being selected to present award papers in the category, ‘KOPS award paper for clinical pharmacology’. Dr. Praveen guided by Dr.Rangalakshmi did our college extremely proud by winning 2nd prize in the coveted Presidents Portex award, for his paper titled ‘SELECTIVE SPINAL ANAESTHESIA USING HYPOBARIC LOW DOSE Levobupivacaine WITH Fentanyl – FOR OUTPATIENT LAPAROSCOPIC PROCEDURES-A COMPARATIVE  RANDOMIZED  CLINICAL STUDY’

The students were guided by Prof  Dr.Rangalakshmi and HOD Dr.Sahajananda.

Kudos to the department of Anesthesia

ISACON 2015 ISACON 2015 ISACON 2015

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2016

The celebration started with a warm welcome to the New Year 2016 by the students accompanied by the management and the teaching staff of RRMCH with a cake cutting. Exchange of wishes poured in and the college had a festive look for the new start.