Research Assessment #5

Name: Milind Renjit

Date: 10/18/18

Subject: Changing anesthesia trends in cardiothoracic surgeries: a fast changing perspective

Teacher: Mrs. Brittain

MLA citation:  

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Bajwa, Sukhminder Jit Singh, et al. “Changing Anesthesia Trends in Cardiothoracic Surgeries: A Fast Changing Perspective.” Anaesthesia, Pain & Intensive Care, vol. 20, Oct. 2016, pp. S136–S139. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=120634366&site=ehost-live.

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Assessment:

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In their article, “Changing Anesthesia Trends in Cardiothoracic Surgeries: A Fast-Changing Perspective”, Sukhminder Jit Singh Bajwa, MD, MBA, FACEE, Jasleen Kaur MD, and Menaal Khanna MBBS discuss the past implementations of anesthesia in Cardiac Surgery, as well as the more advanced and current method of utilizing anesthesia in surgery. The vast difference between the new and old methods are exemplified throughout this article, and most importantly it delves into the benefits of the patient's experience.

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The article begins by introducing the conventional method of administering anesthesia in the past. This information provided a glimpse of what the medical industry had at their disposal in the past, and gave perspective on which to interpret the rest of the article. The primary form of anesthesia used at the beginning of Cardiothoracic surgery was the implementation of a nondisposable Melrose rotating drum oxygenator. This device was used so that the surgeons could easily maintain the extracorporeal circulation. In hindsight, this method would be deemed useless today because it ultimately makes surgeries three times as long and hurts the survival rates of the patients. This is a method that seemed every rudimentary, but as an aspiring surgeon, it is important to understand that this was all that was scientifically and technologically possible at the time. This is actually very similar to the beginnings of the pacemaker, in that both of these made surgeries a breeze in the future. But in the early stages of the technology is can now be interpreted as ridiculous. With more patients beginning to have heart problems, subsequent issues arise and this causes an even bigger increase in demand for this new method of relatively painless surgery.

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As medicine advanced, the implementation and result of the anesthesia became increasingly more effective. Every few years a better method of administering, maintaining, and recovering a patient with the use of these medications would be released to the industry. In many ways, this showed me the reality of the medical industry. Everything thing that a doctor does has some connection with the technology industry, the government, the FDA, etc. Medicine is like any other industry that is in a constant state of evolution. An improved method is discovered and every doctor scrambles to learn and perfect the method in hopes of familiarizing themselves with it. This is done so that one day they too could find the next big innovation in medical or surgical methodology. However, it is important to remember that the old method should never be forgotten, but should always be known so that it can be used in dire situations. This way no matter what the situation a doctor will have the ability to save a patient's life regardless of what is causing the issue.

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Thankfully, now the technology and drugs have become so advanced to a point where anesthesia is common practice in nearly all hospitals worldwide. The process of making and administering the anesthesia is now quicker and more effective than ever before. Fast track management, a four to eight of early extubation period, and the use of various new drugs have revolutionized the earlier process of anesthesia. Not only are the materials and methods used more advanced, but so are the people administering the medicine. An anesthesiologist is more knowledgeable and well trained than ever before. Being able to deliver the correct amount of dosage of medication and to readminister it whenever it needs is one of the toughest and riskiest jobs in the operating room. Because too much can kill a patient and too little will wake them up. The patients and the equipment must constantly be monitored from before the surgery to the moment the patient is discharged. This allowed me to understand two things. One is the sheer amount of effort it takes to administer anesthesia correctly without any issues. The attention to detail must be so meticulous to point where not a single slip up must be made. Another point is the sheer amount of innovation that has been made in the technology of anesthesiology. From the rotating drum to today's fast-track method, the changes and advancements that have been made over the years have been purely amazing. The technology and science that had to be applied and rewritten in order to get to where medicine is to are astounding. It has overall made the lives of all the doctors and patients a lot easier and at the end of the day, it helps save lives.