A Family Doctor's Tale - ANESTHESIA, SURGEONS & SLEEP

ANESTHESIA, SURGEONS AND SLEEP

Being in the Anesthetic Department gave me access to the operation table and the surgeons working inside.
I also has an inside view of the surgery and the the techniques used for the surgery.

Most of the surgeons were friendly and gave tips on how their operation was done.
There a few surgeons who would vent their displeasure on the assisting operation nurse .
I have seen surgeons who threw the instrument on the floor when given the wrong instrument.
There was also a neurosurgeon who was the first neurosurgeon in Singapore in the 1970.
He was so careful with his operations that most of his operations last 6 to 12 hours.
There are also surgeons who leave the initial cutting of the operation wound to his trainee and once they finish the main part of the operation again leave the closure and stitching of the wound to his trainee or assistant.

Sometimes when the surgeon lack a assistant , they will ask you the anesthetist to pull open the operation wound for them. That was okay by me because I can learn better by helping out.

One major operation occurred one night when there was a major alert that there were 2 kidneys available for transplant to 2 kidney patients. All less important operations were cancelled and the theater was prepared for the transplants. Organ transplants were rare at that time.
The team of surgeons were summoned and 2 anesthetists were assigned to help in the operations. Since I was one of the anesthetists available, I was glad to help out in the transplant.
The set of 2 kidneys were removed by one of the surgeon in another theater and the kidneys were rushed to the 2 other teams of surgeons waiting to do the transplants.Blood transfusions were set up. In the meantime the recipients were put under general anesthesia by me and the other anesthetist.
The Head of the Anesthetic Department also arrived to help out in this rare operation.
It was a well organized team effort .
Although the 2 kidneys were successfully transplanted into the 2 patients, one of them died due to rejection of the kidney. It was quite sad for one patient and joy for the surviving patient.


Night duties have always been a problem for a house doctor in the Anesthetic Department.There was always a room for the anesthetist but not for the house doctor. So I just have to made do with whatever is available for sleeping including the sofa of the operation theater's surgeon tea room. It was cold but you need your sleep so just squeeze yourself in a corner with cushions and sleep. 


Once in a while a kind nurse will call me that there is a bed available in the ward from the unfortunate death of a patient. They have cleared the bed and put a clean bed sheet on it.
That was good enough for me. At last a bed to sleep in. Who cares if some dead patient has just occupied it.?
A bed was a bed. I have no qualms about sleeping in the bed, with a ghost of a patient who has just departed.




The Anesthetic Department may have been a short stint of work for me. But I learn to deal with different anesthetists and different surgeons.

I learn to be competent in endotracheal intubation and intravenous injections and drips.
I was able to make use of some regional and local anesthesia to relieve pain later on in my own family practice.
All in all I felt I have learned a lot from my work in the Anesthetic Department.