Anaesthesia on Air

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...

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 an...

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...

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 i...

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 t...

Dr Ramai Santhirapala, Consultant Anaesthetist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and RCoA Council member is joined by Dr Laura Askins, Senior specialist Dietician, and Dr Roopa McCrossan, Consultant Anaesthetist at James Cook University Hospital. In this episode, we discuss civility and incivility and their effects on workplace cultures and behaviour. Ramai, Laura and Roopa discuss what happens wh...

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air Dr Sekina Bakare hosts a roundtable discussion with Dr Desire Onwochei, Dr Sethina Watson and Dr Daniel Olaiya on the work being done to grow the numbers of Black Anaesthetists, experiences within practice and ongoing challenges. They discuss promoting equity within anaesthetics, managing microaggressions, and anti-racist best practices following the 'To Grow...

In Episode 5 of the Heritage & Archives Series Sarah Ramsay talks to Simon Chadwick about how our perception of observation has changed over several generations of anaesthetists and how a trip to an art gallery can enhance our skills. The episode is chaired by Dr Maria Rollin, Chair of the Heritage and Archives Committee  and has been recorded to complement an article Dr Chadwick has written f...

In this Episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Steffan Glaze, Dinwoodie Simulation Fellow at the Royal College of Anaesthetists, hosts a discussion about the new Standards for Simulation-based Practice from the Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH) with two of the authors, Professor Cristina Diaz-Navarro and Professor Makani Purva, alongside Professor Mary Mushambi, University Lead fo...

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air Dr Anton Krige, RCoA Clinical Lead for ME/CFS, talks with Dr Charles Shepherd from the ME Association and Helen Baxter, a patient advocate for ME patients, about the College's latest patient information project ME/CFS and anaesthesia. They explore this poorly understood medical condition and the strategies that anaesthetists will find useful in managing these...

RCoA Councilmember Dr Ramai Santhirapala meets Drs Kate Stannard and Helen Burdett to discuss the Women in Medicine International Network (WIMIN). WIMIN was founded to address, as they put it, the 'huge gap in the needs of women in medicine' with a conference programme and network. Helen and Kate talk about the issues they are trying to tackle, the conference programme they've created, speakers at...

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air Jenny Westaway, Chair of Patient Voices at RCoA, hosts a fascinating discussion with Dr Jane Boissiere, Dr Samantha Black, and Dr Paul Slater about Hypnotherapy in Anaesthesia. They discuss misunderstanding and misinformation around Clinical Hypnosis and the benefits of its use to help patient anxiety. 

In Part 2 of the podcast Peter and Jag talk about the emerging threats from Iraq and Afghanistan which demanded a completely different approach and considerable clinical agility and innovation. Peter was the first UK Defence Professor of Anaesthesia and Critical Care (2008-16) and the conversation turns to the support he received from the RCoA, the Association of Anaesthetists and the Deaneries. B...

In this episode retired Colonel Soundararajan ‘Jag’ Jagdish talks to Professor Peter Mahoney about the early development of military anaesthesia, their lived experiences as deployed military personnel and what went on behind the scenes. The episode is chaired by Dr Anna Maria Rollin, Chair of the RCoA Heritage and Archives Committee

In this final part of our Global Anaesthesia podcast miniseries, Jan and Fi have the privilege to speak with Dr Michelle White who is a long-term volunteer for Mercy Ships. Michelle talks about her experience working in capacity Building on the ship and the delivery of surgical services in surgical care.

In this bitesized stocking-filler episode to end the year we interview Dr Allan Cyna, UK-trained and Australia-based specialist in paediatric anaesthesia and hypnocommunication. This interview was hosted by Duncan McMillan, RCoA Head of Content, at the May 2023 Anaesthesia annual conference in Birmingham, UK, and is a companion episode to our forthcoming roundtable discussion on hypnotherapy and t...

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Mike Grocott hosts a fascinating discussion with Prof Thomas Smith, recently awarded the RCoA Macintosh Professorship, given 'in recognition of outstanding contributions to the wider field of anaesthesia in a senior academic or clinician' for his work in aerospace medicine.

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Deidre Conway hosts a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with Drs Nancy Redfern and Eoin Dore about wellbeing in the anaesthetic workplace and the particular dynamic between trainees and trainers. Amongst many other things Nancy, Eoin, and Deirdre discuss generational differences in work values, communication and honesty, self-care, and building a g...

In this third part of out Global Anaesthesia podcast miniseries, Jan and Fi talk to Dr Emma Coley and Dr Anna Janowicz about their experiences in Zambia and Ethiopia on the Global Anaesthesia Development Programme (GADP), and its Zambian offshoot, ZADP. From applying low resource-setting solutions  back in the UK and appreciating the dedication of local clinical teams to the world's largest fruit...

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Ashwini Keshkamat talks with Dr Sarah Thornton and Dr Roger Sharpe to discuss SAS doctors in Educational roles. They speak through common themes, quality improvement, and advice and highlights for SAS members.  SAS doctors are an integral part of the College. We benefit from the representation of SAS doctors on Council – our elected SAS members are Dr Suni...

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Jan Man Wong and Dr Fiona Linton talk to Dr Sanjay Deshpande and Dr Anna Wilkinson about their experiences at the BKL Walawalker Hospital in Dervan, India. They cover everything from handling scorpion bites and improving sharps disposal practices, to some of the bittersweet professional connections they made with hospital staff. Sanjay and Anna describe ho...

On this episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Joyce Yeung talks with three experts in the field, Dr Michael Gillies, Dr Rhona Sinclair, and Dr Alixe Kilgour on the Blood transfusion during hip fracture – insights from research (RESULT-Hip Trial), investigating the impact of REStrictive versUs LIberaL Transfusion strategy on cardiac injury and death in patients undergoing surgery. They discuss the impr...

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Jan Man Wong and Dr Fiona Linton talk with Dr Tamryn Miller and Dr Katherine Horner about their experiences as part of the Mercy Ships Programme. Tamryn and Katherine talk through their top tips, patient stories they encountered, and how it changed their practice.  Global Anaesthesia, Surgery, and Obstetric Collaboration (GASOC) was established in 2015 to...

For the season finale of the NovPod, we are honoured to have Dr Fiona Donald, President of the RCoA, as our special guest. We discuss what life is like after the novice period and throughout the career of an anaesthetic trainee, as well as some of the challenges facing anaesthetists at the moment. References/links: Training link - RCoA stage 1 training link Resources-publications/Guidebooks/Traine...

Wellbeing is an extremely important aspect of a career in anaesthesia, and we are lucky to have as our special guest Dr Ramai Santhirapala - RCoA Council Member and wellbeing lead - to talk through the challenging aspects of the novice period, anaesthetics as a career and ways to help maintain your wellbeing throughout this time. References/links: Novice-Guide/ Wellbeing-support - RCoA novice guid...