The Anesthesia Thrive Guide

High PaCO2, Low PaO2, Bicarb up, down...what does this all suggest? In this episode, join me as we introduce the principles of arterial blood gas tests and the interpretation of the results. This was a challenging subject to grasp in medical school, so hopefully this episode will help you have an idea about what to expect when the perfusionist or respiratory therapist hands you the reading.

What are the drugs that make patients "go to sleep" prior to an intubation? Here's a comprehensive list and some common PIMP questions.

Once you've learned to secure the airway, you have to connect the patient to the breathing machine, right? Here's a brief overview of the various ventilator settings you will encounter on Anesthesia and ICU rotations and special considerations for each setting.

Injecting anesthetics into a patient's spine can sound like a daunting task at first, but familiarizing oneself with the anatomy, pharmacology, and anticipating possible complications can help learners better understand what to expect!

In common conversation, you may have heard that all anesthesiologists do is "put people to sleep," but that is far more a euphemism than a reality. Part of an anesthesiologist's medical care is to create akinesia, which involves the administration of muscle-relaxing agents - essentially paralyzing the patient. This episode introduces the paralytics, their mechanisms of action, and special usages in the operating room and intensive care unit.

Going to the hospital and not getting IV fluids would be like going to Disneyland and not seeing Mickey. In this episode, we discuss the basics of crystalloids, colloids, and commonly administered blood products. We'll also prepare for some commonly PIMP'd questions regarding fluid management.

Ok, now that you've secured the airway, you've got to turn on the gas! This episode talks about volatile anesthetics and their effect on patients during the operation.

The "A" in the anesthesia ABCs is "Airway" so this podcast will introduce you the nuts and bolts of airway management. Get ready to learn about each of the common devices and how to be helpful when placing such devices down the patients' airways.

Many anesthesia rotations have you work in different parts of the hospital, to get a glimpse of what perioperative medicine truly means. This includes Preop, Acute Pain Service, optimization clinic, SICU, PACU, and of course, the OR. The episode describes what you will be doing in each and how to thrive.

Anesthesiologists employ a lot of different medications during their delivery of patient care. This episode sheds light on the medications used before an operation - and how medical students can be of great help.

So, you want to be an anesthesiologist...how are you going to evaluate patients before their surgeries? This episode suggests a 5 questions you may ask yourself to help form the anesthetic plan for any given case.

Interested in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine? This introductory episode explains my reason to start the podcast and for whom it's intended.