Physiological effects of transfer for critically ill patients

Critically ill patients can be exposed to significant physiological changes during transfer that can lead to significant instability with hypoxia, hypotension, arrhythmias and changes in intracranial pressure (ICP). This tutorial will explore the physiological effects that land and air transfer have on critically ill patients and describe how these adverse physiological sequelae can be avoided or reduced.
Length of Study: 60 min
Difficulty: Medium

Sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease is a disorder of the blood caused by an inherited abnormal haemoglobin. The abnormal haemoglobin causes distorted (sickled) red blood cells. When the number of red blood cells decreases from rupture (haemolysis), anaemia is the result. The irregular sickled cells can also block blood vessels causing tissue and organ damage and pain.
Length of Study: 60 min
Difficulty: Easy

COPD and Anaesthesia

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a commonly encountered respiratory disorder. Patients with COPD pose a challenge to the anaesthetist because intraoperative and postoperative complications occur more commonly than in those without the disease, and can lead to prolonged hospital stay and increased mortality. This module provides an overview of COPD and discusses implications for the anaesthetic management of patients with the disease.
Length of Study: 75 min
Difficulty Medium

The effects of anaesthesia on respiratory function.

This tutorial will explain how anaesthesia affects the respiratory system and how these effects can be managed.
Length of Study:  60 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

Parkinson’s Disease & Anaesthesia

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system the causes of which are poorly inderstood. This module covers its management under anaesthetic, discusses which drugs are safe for use in this patient group and whether regional or GA anaesthetic are more appropriate.
Length of Study: 60 min
Difficulty: Medium

Understanding your ECG: a review

Health professionals use the electrocardiograph (ECG) rhythm strip to systematically analyse the cardiac rhythm. Before the systematic process of ECG analysis is described it is important to understand the individual waveforms, segments and intervals of the ECG. This module reviews all these steps.
Length of Study: 90 min
Difficulty: Medium

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 prudent to spend time preventing rather than treating it. All theatre staff should be aware of the doses limits of local anaesthetics they use as well as the causes, signs and treatment of LAST.
Length of Study: 50 min.
Difficulty: Easy
   

Urea & Electrolytes: a review

Urea and electrolytes (U&Es) are the most frequently requested biochemistry tests. They provide useful information about several aspects of health, such as the volume of blood and its pH. The most important aspect of U&Es is what they tell us about kidney functioning.
Length of Study: 50 min
Difficulty: Easy

Suxamethonium Apnoea

This module describes the action of suxamethonium, the inheritance of suxamethonium apnoea, and the non-inherited conditions that can also cause it. The presentation and treatment of the condition are discussed.
Length of Study: 45 min
Difficulty: Easy

Cardiac Tamponade

Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening emergency that impairs the ability of the heart to fill and to pump. Although not strictly a perioperative condition it is something that all advanced life support responders should be aware of.
Length of Study: 90 min
Difficulty: Easy

Understanding local anaesthetics

This module discusses the pharmacology of local anaesthetic agents and then briefly describes the various additives that can be used with these agents.
Length of Study: 75 min
Difficulty: Medium

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 and how to prevent it.
A well as being very stressful and uncomfortable for patients upon waking, it has many negative consequences including delayed drug metabolism, wound healing and increased infection rates.

Length of Study: 75 min.
Difficulty: Easy
   

Arterial Blood Gas Analysis

This module explains how to do a simple easy to understand arterial blood gas analysis. How to use the 5-step approach to analyse arterial blood gas results as well as explaining how respiration and metabolism are linked and how this effects the results.
Length of study:  90 min
Difficulty: Difficult

The Difficult Paediatric Airway

There are anatomical and physiological differences between the infant, child and adult that make even the normal paediatric airway difficult for the inexperienced practitioner, particularly in children under one year of age. Good preoperative assessment and preparation is therefore key to success of the management of the difficult airway in children. This article covers this and more.
Length of Study: 75 min
Difficultly: Difficult

Apnoea & Pre-oxygenation

Pre-oxygenation is used in anaesthesia to prolong the time to desaturation during a period of apnoea, such as frequently happens upon induction. This can also be thought of a denitogenation. This article covers the science behind it and discusses some patient groups that need special attention.
Length of Study: 60 min
Difficulty: Easy

Spinal Anaesthesia

This module covers the relevant anatomy, physiology and pharmacology of safe and satisfactory spinal anaesthesia.
Length of Study: 90 min
Difficulty: Medium

Understanding & Establishing Intraosseous Access

Intraosseous (IO) access is an alternative method to providing venous administration of drugs and fluids. Commonly used by the military and pre-hospital medics,it is gaining popularity in the hospital setting where intravenous access is challenging or time critical.
Length of Study: 75 min
Difficulty: Easy

Changes in Pregnancy Relevant to Anaesthesia

Pregnancy causes major physiological changes to the mother’s body. An understanding of these changes is the key to safe obstetric anaesthesia. The causes of these changes are initially hormonal; metabolic and mechanical factors also contribute as the fetus develops.
Length of Study: 60 min
Difficulty: Medium

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 who may be called to A&E resus but the general principles are useful for anyone who works with children.
Length of Study: 60 min.
Difficulty: Medium