An anesthesiologist is who and what are his duties?

From time immemorial, people have sought to reduce pain caused by "intrusion", for example, during surgery, into the human body. Currently, this function is assigned to a specialist such as an anesthesiologist.

Who is it?

An anesthesiologist is A qualified specialist who is anesthetizing with all sorts of surgical interventions, pain, shock and post-traumatic conditions.

It is this doctor who is responsible for the welfare of the patient during the anesthesia, is responsible for choosing the most safe and comfortable anesthesia.

Anesthesiologist not only immerses in anesthesia, but also ensures the maintenance of the patient's organism throughout the period of the surgical operation. It is this doctor that leads the patient into feelings after the operation and controls his condition in the postoperative period.

A bit of history

Surprisingly, the first anesthetist doctors appeared in the Middle Ages. True, the methods of anesthesia in them were, to put it mildly, peculiar. So, in those days, the method of hitting the patient on the head with a heavy object was widely used. After hitting the patient, naturally, he lost consciousness. Loss of consciousness and was anesthesia. In this state, the patient did not feel for a while what was happening to him: this period was used for the operation.

Over the next centuries, scientists all over the world have been actively working in the search for and developing reliable methods of anesthesia. And so, in 1864, the famous dentist Thomas Morton was the first to use inhalation ether as a method of anesthesia. By the way, for those times the duration of this "anesthesia" was a record and amounted to just over an hour.

In modern medicine, anesthesiology has reached such a high level that an anesthesiologist can easily calculate the time of action and localization of anesthesia for each individual patient.

Strict requirements

Becoming an anesthesiologist is not easy. In addition to the mandatory availability of specialized medical education, this specialist must perfectly know both the anatomy of a person and the physiology of the body.

An anesthesiologist-resuscitator must have profound knowledge in the field of the device of cells and organs (to immediately diagnose the occurrence of any deviation in the patient).

An important role is played by the personal qualities of the doctor. Such an expert should be able to work in stressful situations, make the right decisions in unusual situations. In addition, the anesthetists of Russia are distinguished by such important quality as sympathy and compassion for the patient.

Naturally, the work of an anesthesiologist assumes constant improvement of skills and obtaining new knowledge related to the introduction of new technologies and the production of modern medicines.

Functions and responsibilities

An anesthesiologist is a doctor who is responsible for ensuring the safety of the patient during the operation. In this regard, this specialist, before the introduction of anesthesia, must thoroughly familiarize himself with the patient's medical history, and also conduct a personal conversation with him and an examination (if necessary). The doctor should find out if the patient has any chronic diseases (for example, heart or lung disease), an allergy to certain drugs.

Only after a thorough study of the patient's personality and its disease does the main work of the anesthesiologist begin.

In addition, an experienced specialist will necessarily offer the patient to pass sensitivity tests that will help to minimize the occurrence of any complications during the operation and after the termination of the anesthesia.

Who chooses anesthesia?

Everyone knows that in practice, several types of anesthesia are used: local, general and spinal (it is also called epidural). In addition, anesthesia differs by the way it is introduced into the human body, by the number of drugs used, and by the use at various stages of the operation. It is the anesthesiologist-resuscitator who chooses the most suitable type of anesthesia for a particular patient.

By the way, most commonly during the operation, general anesthesia is used , which involves complete loss of consciousness. The anesthesiologist injects intravenously and within 10 seconds the patient loses consciousness. The dose of injection is also calculated by the specified doctor, based on the complexity of the injury and the duration of the operation.

Local anesthesia is used, as a rule, in dentistry. When this method is used, a specific area of the patient's body is subjected to freezing. In this case, the patient is conscious.

Spinal anesthesia is known to many of the fair sex, as it is widely used in childbirth, spinal and gynecological operations. An anesthesiologist injects into a specific area of the spine and after a few minutes the patient ceases to feel pain.

When using any type of anesthesia, an anesthesiologist-resuscitator doctor monitors and monitors the physical condition of the patient throughout the operation.

"Eminence grise"

Despite the fact that the surgery itself is performed by a surgeon, the anesthetist performs at first sight an invisible but very significant work. An anesthesiologist is the person whose competent and correct actions depend on the patient's life and health.

So, if during the operation the patient's condition deteriorates sharply, it is the anesthetist who takes measures to stabilize the patient's condition. This specialist can conduct an indirect cardiac massage, apply additional anesthesia, stop bleeding and so on.

In addition, it is the anesthesiologist who gradually removes the patient from anesthesia and continues to monitor his physical condition after the end of the operation.

Anesthesiologist or resuscitator?

As already mentioned, an anesthesiologist is a doctor who specializes in anesthetizing a patient during an operation. And who is a resuscitator?

If you go deeper into history, you can learn that the term "anesthesiologist" from the Greek language is literally translated as "without feelings." The reanimatologist, however (in translation from the same Greek language) is "the return of life." Indeed, this specialist not only introduces the patient into a state of anesthesia, but also works to bring the patient into feelings.

Thus, it would be more correct to say that a specialist who is anesthetizing with all sorts of surgical interventions and bringing to the senses after surgery is not just an anesthesiologist, but an anesthesiologist-resuscitator.

Important recommendations

The successful outcome of the operation mainly depends on the coordinated and skilled work of the doctors. However, the patient himself must follow certain recommendations.

So, experienced anesthetists advise before conducting any surgery to adhere to the following rules:

- not less than a week before the date of the proposed operation, to exclude the use of alcoholic beverages and to try to give up smoking;

- On the eve of surgery, it is strictly forbidden to take "Aspirin", since this drug increases the bleeding several times;

- to exclude animal fats from the diet and to consume as much as possible poultry meat, fish and sour-milk products;

- in the event that a patient suffers from coronary heart disease or diabetes mellitus, do not stop taking medications prescribed by the doctor;

- Do not hide from the doctor information about the presence of any allergic reactions and other features of the body.

Compliance with these rules will help reduce the risk of emergencies, both during the introduction of anesthesia and surgery, and in the postoperative period.

Summarizing

It is very necessary in any medical institution an anesthesiologist. The patients' comments on the work of these specialists show that the trust to the doctors of this specialization is colossal. And this is not accidental, because sometimes it is the quality and performance of an anesthesiologist-resuscitator that determines the life and health of the patient.

The introduction of anesthesia, monitoring the patient's condition, gradual bringing to the senses, the implementation of postoperative rehabilitation - all these duties are performed by an anesthesiologist. The operation is considered successful only when the entire team of specialists (surgeons, anaesthesiologists-resuscitators and other medical personnel) works in a coherent, clear and competent manner.