Anaesthetists to be empowered with knowledge, skills

A two-day convention here of the country's anaesthesiologists has called for the community to transit to newer techniques and medications to avert problems arising out of general anaesthesia routinely administered during surgery.

The Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists at its conference which ended on Sunday also announced a vision to empower every anaesthetist with advances in knowledge and latest skills.

"The time has come to transit to new techniques and medications to avoid problems arising due to general anaesthesia routinely administered to patients requiring surgery," the specialists said.

The conference discussed the efficacy of minimal invasive treatment options for low back pain due to disc herniation which has become a huge concern for physicians.

Dr Shiv Pratap Singh Rana and Dr Sangeeta Singh said if one has experienced low back pain or leg pain, then one is not alone since more than 800 million Indians have had an episode of back- or spine-related pain.

The annual prevalence of chronic low back pain ranges from 15 to 45 percent with a point prevalence of 30 percent.

Among the working population (20 to 64 years) more than 26 million Americans have low back pain, while almost 60 million Americans aged 65 and older have frequent low back pain, the doctors said citing a survey.

Another area of concern was 'sepsis', which is unreasonably high in critically ill patients and represents a major challenge in treatment, said Dr R.K. Singh of SGPGI, Lucknow.

Though treatment and medicines were available, the key to successful therapy still remains early detection of septic patients, he added.

Discussing recent advancements in day-care anaesthesia, Professor Qazi Ehsan Ali of Aligarh Muslim University's medical college said new techniques have reduced the need for hospitalisation, as facilities of ambulatory anaesthesia are now available.

"The convenience and low overhead costs continue to attract more surgeries to be conducted in an ambulatory setting," he said.

Another common problem, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), can result in prolonged suffering and even death, if not recognised and treated effectively.

Dr Dharmendra Yadav of MLN Medical College, Allahabad, said "death can occur if venous thrombi breaks off and form pulmonary emboli which obstructs the arteries of lungs".

Talking about the role and medico-legal responsibilities of anaesthetists, Dr Devendra Gupta said: "The duty of an anaesthetist begins from induction of anaesthesia and ends when the patient comes out of its influence and becomes conscious. The anaesthesiologist becomes liable for not attending to the patient during this period."

Through a wide range of techniques and medicines now available, anaesthetists have made surgery easier and less complicated, the speakers said.

However, trauma remained world's number one killer among 18 to 44 years age group.

Unfortunately, trauma was the most neglected area in our society. This calls for major expansion of facilities and educational exercises, the experts said.