Surgery in Ancient Rome The lack of truly sterile equipment, few if any painkillers or anaesthetics, and the reliance on superstitions and myths would probably…
Direct vision laryngoscopes Laryngoscopes are used to aid tracheal intubation and the placement of endotracheal tubes. They allow visualisation of the larynx and are used…
Anaesthetic machines back to front The most important piece of equipment that the anaesthetist uses is the anaesthesia machine. The basic function of an anaesthesia…
Understanding Central Venous Lines This module discusses various types of central lines and central venous catheters (CVC). They are often needed in critically ill patients…
Human Factors How to Guide The purpose of this guide is to provide an introduction to the concept of human factors in healthcare and provide…
Human factors in anaesthesia: lessons from aviation Aviation safety has evolved over more than a century and has achieved remarkable results. Applying some of the…
Patient safety: latent risk factors The systems-centred approach assumes that humans are fallible and that systems must be designed so that humans are prevented from…
Improving patient safety in the operating theatre and perioperative care Human factors are major contributors to errors in healthcare that can impact patient safety. Improvements…
Human factors in complex trauma The establishment of major trauma centres around the UK has led to the concentration of trauma experience in key hospitals.…
Beyond monitoring: distributed situation awareness in anaesthesia Situation awareness (SA) is one of the essential non-technical skills for effective and safe practice in high-risk industries,…
Human factors in the management of the critically ill patient Unreliable delivery of best practice care is a major component of medical error. Critically ill…
Lessons from the battlefield: human factors in defence anaesthesia Anaesthetists in the Defence Medical Services spend most of their clinical time in the National Health…
Interaction between anaesthetists, their patients, and the anaesthesia team Communication is a key skill for anaesthetic practice. The ‘non-informational’ aspects of communication, such as non-verbal…
Human factors and the safety of surgical and anaesthetic care Safety of patients in the operating theatre relies on a cordial and efficient working relationship…
Getting the best out of videolaryngoscopy The benefits of videolaryngoscopy, especially in unexpected difficult intubations, are numerous but they are not just conventional laryngoscopes with…
Proact Creative 900B Handheld Capnograph (sponsored) The Creative PC-900B is a compact and lightweight handheld Capnograph and Oximeter which has an extremely simple user interface…
Muscle Relaxants; reversal and the use of peripheral nerve stimulators. This module discusses residual block, why, when and how muscle relaxants are reversed, and the…
Emergency front of neck access in airway management This module describes the guidance for emergency front of neck access, reviews techniques to improve decision making…
Endotracheal tubes An endotracheal tube (ETT) is inserted into the trachea for the primary purpose of establishing and maintaining a definitive patent airway and to…
The respiratory system – Organs and Structures of the Respiratory System This module covers the anatomy of the respiratory system. The major organs of the…
Supraglottic Airway Devices First introduced in 1988 the Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) or supraglottic airway is now used in over 50% of anaesthetics in the…
Airway adjuncts and intubation aids Airway adjuncts are designed to increase the success rate of basic airway manoeuvres, help maintain spontaneous respiration or ensuring successful…
Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents This module discusses aspiration which is a relatively rare, but potentially fatal complication of general anaesthesia occurring most commonly in…
Perioperative Hypothermia Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia can occur in up to 40% of surgical patients so it essential for theatre practitioners to know what causes it…
Local Anaesthetic Systemic Toxicity Local anaesthetic systemic toxicity is rare but when it does occur its onset may be sudden and life-threatening so it is…
Deep Brain Stimulators Deep brain stimulation is an increasingly common treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD), other movement disorders, certain psychiatric conditions, and chronic pain syndromes.…
Bone Cement Implantation Syndrome Bone cement implantation syndrome (BCIS) is a potentially fatal complication of orthopaedic surgery. The ability to predict, recognise, and manage BCIS…
Understanding capnography This module explains the basic principles of capnography, discusses EtCO2 waveforms, and how to interpret them in the ventilated patient. Length of Study:…
Total Intravenous Anaesthesia Total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) is a technique of general anaesthesia which uses a combination of agents given exclusively by the intravenous route…
Nonin 9590 Onyx Vantage Finger Pulse Oximeter – Proact (sponsored) When you need to make decisions quickly, you do not have time to question the…
Acute limb compartment syndromes Compartment syndrome (CS) is a medical emergency, which needs to be recognised by those involved with the provision of anaesthesia surgery…
Catastrophes of many kinds can occur in childbirth… This moving article is about a pregnant woman dying from amniotic fluid embolism. It is a very…
Understanding vaporisers This updated module explains how modern anaesthetic vaporisers work and the principles behind them. It includes electronic and direct injection vaporisers. Length of…
Paediatric Trauma Anatomical and physiological differences in children require special consideration and most seriously injured children have multiple injuries. This module is mainly for those…
Anaesthesia for ECT ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) is a treatment that involves sending an electric current through the brain to trigger an epileptic seizure to relieve the…
Proact Combi™ Laryngoscope (Sponsored) Invented by PROACT in 2010, the Combi™ Laryngoscope concept provides an all-in-one Laryngoscope set with a pre-fitted PERMANENTLY attached blade and…
Proact Laryngeal Airways (sponsored) Proact have a full range of PRO-Breathe Laryngeal Airways. These include the Disposable PVC, Disposable Armourflex™ PVC and high quality silicone disposable Laryngeal…
Proact Creative 900B Handheld Sidestream Capnography and Oximeter (sponsored) Very compact and lightweight with extremely simple user interface. Full colour 7.5cm TFT display monitors…
Proact Creative™ PC-3000 Vital Signs Monitor (sponsored) The Creative PC-3000 Multi Parameter Monitor is an ideal way of tracking the condition of the patient due…