Welcome to a video series on basic ECG interpretation. This series was designed for the pre-operative nursing team at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, but you may find each component useful if you are new to ECGs. Part 1: What is an ECG? Part 2: Rate, rhythm and axis Part 3: ECG interpretation and practical tips…
Category: Clinical
Supraglottic airways
Contents: What are supraglottic airways and how do they work? Types of SGAs What are supraglottic airways and how do they work? Supraglottic airways are airway devices that allow hands-free airway maintenance without the need for tracheal intubation. Advantages Disadvantages 1. Can be placed without direct visualisation of the larynx2. Fast and easy to place…
First day in anaesthetics – what do we do?
Topics included on this page: Pre-operative assessment Induction Maintenance Emergence Recovery Other useful links Pre-operative assessment This is a mammoth topic, but for the purposes of this article, we’ll stick to the information we need from the patients on the day of surgery. For novice anaesthetists planning to take the primary FRCA, this is an…
Airway: Simple airway manoeuvres and facemask ventilation
Contents of this page: Have a look at our airway anatomy page here too, just to help understand the structures we’re talking about on this page. Have a look at our airway assessment page to revise the risk factors for difficult facemask ventilation and how to make a strategy Head tilt, chin lift and jaw…
Airway: Awake tracheal intubation (ATI)
Indications and contraindications Consent Preparation Oxygenation Sedation Topicalisation Performance of technique References Indications and contraindications Indications: Patients with head and neck pathology eg. malignancy and previous radiotherapy, who often have reduced mouth opening, limited neck extension, OSA, morbid obesity, and/or progressive airway compromise Absolute contraindications: Patient refusal Relative contraindications: Local anaesthetic allergy, airway bleeding, uncooperative…
Paediatrics: Paediatric airway and breathing considerations
Paediatric airway anatomical differences to adult and how to overcome them Airway assessment Preoperative considerations, planning and emergency preparation Induction of anaesthesia in a patient with a potentially difficult airway Congenital syndromes that have specific airway considerations Calculations and formulas for airway devices References Paediatric airway differences to adult and how to overcome them If…
Peri-operative medicine: Caring for patients with mental health problems in an acute setting
Mental health is an integral part of our wellbeing. Many of us will encounter patients with mental health problems in different parts of the hospital. With the help of our colleagues in psychiatry, we have developed a series of useful videos that might help acute practitioners feel more confident caring for patients with mental health…
Obstetrics: Epidurals in labour
What is an epidural? Physiological effects Contraindications Risks of epidurals Equipment Insertion and initiation of epidural analgesia Troubleshooting Complications What is an epidural? (with pictures so you can show your patients) Definitions: Epidural space: an anatomic space that is the outermost part of the spinal canal. Epidural catheter: A thin plastic tube which is threaded into the…
Paediatrics: Congenital heart disease
Topics within this page Classification of CHD (with pictures) Physiology of cardiac disease Fontan circulation Anaesthesia for CHD patients undergoing surgery Classification of CHD: Left to right shunts Obstructive lesions Right to left shunts Complex shunts Physiology Normal or series circulation Systemic and pulmonary circulation working together in series. Most repaired CHDs have this. Unrepaired…
Airway: Airway assessment and strategy
What is the point of doing this? What do I need to find out? How to assess an airway How to make a strategy Further reading What is the point of doing this? You perform an airway assessment on patients about to have an anaesthetic in order to identify patients who may be difficult to…
The Anaesthetic Room 