Eoin and Rosie are joined by Susanna Stanford, a patient advocate, to talk through how to the importance of the prevention and management of pain during C-section. We discuss how to avoid pitfalls when testing neuraxial anaesthesia and how to manage problems under regional anaesthesia, then go on to talk about the criticality of patient communication and human factors when facing problems with neuraxial blockade. References -        Prevention and management of intra-operative pain during...

Episode 10 the Postpartum Visit! Eoin & Rosie dive into how to approach, structure the postpartum visit and why we as a speciality should do it! We will cover everything from postpartum headache to what red flags to look for with nerve injury.  BJA education - postpartum headache: diagnosis and treatment AoA guideline - Neurological monitoring associated with obstetric neuraxial block AoA guideline - Anaesthesia and sedation in breastfeeding women

Our good friend and anaesthetic registrar colleague Rahul returns to defend his undisputed title as 'NovPod champion'. This time Eoin and Rahul go head to head with their knowledge of anaesthetic drugs used on the labour ward, competing for the glory of winning the golden Tuohy needle.  References  OAA obstetric quick reference handbook Oxford handbook - drugs in anaesthesia and intensive care Anaesthesia (e-LA) -> Core Training - Basic Sciences -> e-LA Module 07c -...

We are joined by the fantastic Dr Damien Hughes - an anaesthetic consultant and OAA council member - to discuss how we manage pain on the labour ward. We discuss the physiology of pain in labour and the management options we are able to deliver as anaesthetists, as well as how we can positively impact maternal health outcomes and our patients' birth experience.  References  Anaesthesia (e-LA) -> Core Training - Clinical -> e-LA Module 04a - Obstetrics -> 04 Regional...

In Episode 7, Eoin and Rosie sit down with our fantastic guest Dr Kirsty Maclennan - an anaesthetic consultant and OAA board member - to talk through the anaesthetic emergencies that we encounter on the labour ward. With expert advice from the lead editor of the recently released obstetric anaesthetic quick reference handbook - this is not an episode to miss! References -  -        OAA obstetric quick reference handbook -        Anaesthesia (e-LA) -> Core Training - Clinical -> e-LA...

For Episode 6 - a 2 part special! - we are joined by our friend and obstetric registrar colleague, Miss Chiara Petrosellini, to talk through common obstetric emergencies and how Anaesthetists are involved in their management. Chiara gives us some great advice about working in high pressure situations and dealing with emergencies as part of the wider obstetric team. References OAA obstetric quick reference handbook Anaesthesia (e-LA) -> Core Training - Clinical -> e-LA Module 04a -...

For Episode 6 - a 2 part special! - we are joined by our friend and obstetric registrar colleague, Miss Chiara Petrosellini, to talk through common obstetric emergencies and how Anaesthetists are involved in their management. Chiara gives us some great advice about working in high pressure situations and dealing with emergencies as part of the wider obstetric team. References OAA obstetric quick reference handbook Anaesthesia (e-LA) -> Core Training - Clinical -> e-LA Module 04a -...

In this episode Rosie and Eoin are joined by Gail Roberts, a midwife coordinator, to talk through how the labour ward actually works. Gail gives us an insight into what makes a good anaesthetist on labour ward and how to work well within the labour ward MDT. References -  -        OAA obstetric quick reference handbook -        Association of Anaesthetists guideline - Neurological monitoring associated with obstetric neuraxial block

In this episode, Eoin, Rosie and Serina discuss some of the pathophysiological conditions that anaesthetists encounter on the labour ward including gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and abnormal placental implantation. Eoin and Rosie give advice on how to approach these and how they might impact our management of patients presenting with these conditions.  References - -        OAA Obstetric QRH - https://www.oaa-anaes.ac.uk/oaa-quick-reference-handbook/qrh -        MAGPIE trial -...

In episode 3 we are joined by Dr Serina Sidhu, an anaesthetic CT1 about to start her obstetric novice period. Rosie and Eoin are here to answer her questions about the role of the anaesthetist on the labour ward and what we actually do on a day to day basis.  References - -        OAA Obstetric QRH - https://www.oaa-anaes.ac.uk/oaa-quick-reference-handbook/qrh -        Anaesthesia (e-LA) -> Core Training - Clinical -> e-LA Module 04a - Obstetrics -> 07 Serious problems in obstetric...

Dr Ramai Santhirapala welcomes Dr Claire Shannon as new President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists with an interview featuring questions from the RCoA Member Engagement Panel and covering everything from training programmes, careers, Anaesthetic Associates, sexism in medicine, Claire's own professional journey, and the advice she'd give her younger self.  This audio interview accompanies a condensed print version in the October 2024 edition of the RCoA member Bulletin.

For episode 2, we are joined by NovPod series 1 alumnus Dr Layla Guscoth to discuss the changes that pregnancy has on maternal physiology and how this will affect our anaesthetic management.   References Difficult airway society guideline - management of difficult and failed tracheal intubation in obstetrics BJA physiology of pregnancy: clinical anaesthetic implications  BJA Anaesthesia and non-obstetric surgery in pregnancy  Prevention and management of intra‐operative pain during...

Welcome back! We are delighted to bring you a second series of the NovPod, this time about the exciting world of obstetric anaesthesia. For this series we have collaborated with both the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association to bring you the best content and guests possible. In this episode we reunite with our excellent guest from our “How to survive on-calls” episode - Dr Rosie Grimes - who will be joining us as a co-host throughout the series; and talk...

In this follow-up to the first NovPod series, Drs Eoin Dore and Duncan Kemp discuss their top ten takeaway tips for the Novice anaesthetist, adapted from a talk they gave at an RCoA event in late 2023. Duncan and Eoin talk about resources, evidence for the IAC, active learning, the importance of rest when doing late shifts, and more. For anyone who wants a re-cap of the key messages from the Novice Pod series, or needs a quick TL:DR for their new novice period, listen on! Resources and...

This podcast is part of a mini series of 3, looking at how military medicine has transferred to civilian practice and vice-versa.  Each part has been recorded as a stand alone episode so you can listen to them in any order you like.  Join the outgoing Surgeon General, Major General Tim Hodgetts, Professor and Retired Colonel, Peter Mahoney and Retired Colonel 'Jag' Jagdish as they reflect on their experiences with Dr Anna Maria Rollin.  In this episode they talk about The Process and the...

This podcast is part of a mini series of 3, looking at how military medicine has transferred to civilian practice and vice-versa.  Each part has been recorded as a stand alone episode so you can listen to them in any order you like.  Join the outgoing Surgeon General, Major General Tim Hodgetts, Professor and Retired Colonel, Peter Mahoney and Retired Colonel 'Jag' Jagdish as they reflect on their experiences with Dr Anna Maria Rollin.  In this episode they talk about Motivation and Innovation

This podcast is part of a mini series of 3, looking at how military medicine has transferred to civilian practice and vice-versa.  Each part has been recorded as a stand alone episode so you can listen to them in any order you like.  Join the outgoing Surgeon General, Major General Tim Hodgetts, Professor and Retired Colonel, Peter Mahoney and Retired Colonel 'Jag' Jagdish as they reflect on their experiences with Dr Anna Maria Rollin.  In this episode they talk about Challenging the Protocol

This recording accompanies an Anaesthesia on Air discussion about preparing for the FRCA examination. Download and save this guided session for whenever you need a moment to relax, reflect, and regroup, whether you're preparing for an exam, or anything else. Dr Jim Brunning, breathwork instructor and FRCA Final examiner, leads this guided relaxation. Music accompaniment provided by Somabreath. 

Dr Emma Plunkett speaks to Dr Jim Brunning and Dr Joe Pick about wellbeing in the context of preparing for and sitting the FRCA examination. Drawing on their own experiences Jim, Joe and Emma discuss the importance of relaxation, sleep, time-management, and more. They explore methods exam candidates can apply in their own preparations, anxiety and imposter syndrome, and how to take a healthy perspective. Many of the tools they discuss apply to general wellbeing and work/life pressures, not...

In the last of our Anaesthesia 2024 annual conference podcasts, Dr Ramai Santhirapala talks to Dr Kariem El-Boghdadly following his talk on GLP-1 receptor agonists in May 2024 at Glasgow Caledonian University.  Kariem and Ramai discuss how GLP-1 receptor agonists affect gastric emptying and the subsequent risk of pulmonary aspiration, what anaesthetists can do about that, and what guidance we can look forward to around this area.  They also discuss the work and achievements that led to...

In this fascinating conversation Dr Sam Black talks to Maricarmen Climent and Jayne Hidderley about risk and how it is communicated in clinical settings. This podcast, the fourth of a series recorded at the RCoA's 2024 Annual Conference in Glasgow, follows a keynote talk given by Maricarmen and Leila Finikarides and expands on the themes they discussed, in the context of the Montgomery judgment and associated GMC guidance, amongst other things. We hear how risk is as much a feeling as a...

In the third of a series of podcasts recorded at the RCoA's Anaesthesia 2024 conference in Glasgow Professor Malcolm Sim discusses his research into the science of metabolomics, and its role in the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. Metabolomics sits at the end of an 'omics' chain, after genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. It can help 'pierce the cloud' of uncertainty around sepsis, leading to better diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.  Malcolm talks about the future of this research...

In this second of our Anaesthesia 2024 conference podcasts, recorded in Glasgow in May 2024, Drs Helgi Johannsson, Lucy Brooks, and Paul Southall discuss the latest developments in sustainable anaesthesia.  They look at the NHS's decomissioning of desflurane, use of nitrous oxide, masks and gowns, and the importance of local leadership and advocacy in making positive, sustainable change. Further information:  RCoA | Environment and sustainability The nitrous oxide project

In this first of a series of podcasts recorded at the RCoA's Anaesthesia 2024 conference in Glasgow Ms Jenny Montgomery, Consultant ENT Head & Neck Surgeon, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, discusses her work in transoral robotic surgery (TORS). Jenny describes how TORS, only recently available to patients in Scotland, is a minimally-invasive surgery that allows access to areas of the throat that would previously have been hard to reach. This tool is especially useful in the west of...