From time immemorial, people have sought to reduce the pain that occurs during the "invasion", for example, during surgery, in the human body. Currently, this function is assigned to a specialist such as an anesthesiologist.
Who is it?
An anesthetist is qualified specialist who is engaged in anesthesia in all kinds of surgical interventions, pain, shock and post-traumatic conditions.
It is this doctor who is responsible for the well-being of the patient during anesthesia, is responsible for choosing the most safe and comfortable anesthesia.
The anesthesiologist not only immerses in anesthesia, but also ensures the maintenance of the patient's body throughout the entire period of the surgical operation. It is this doctor who brings the patient to feelings after the operation and controls his condition in the postoperative period.
A bit of history
Surprisingly, the first anesthetists appeared in the Middle Ages. True, they had peculiar methods of pain relief. So, in those days, the method of hitting a patient with a heavy object on the head was widely used. After the blow, the patient naturally lost consciousness. Loss of consciousness was anesthesia. In this state, the patient did not feel for some time what was happening to him: this period was used for the operation.
Over the next centuries, scientists around the world have been active in the search and development of reliable methods of pain relief. And so, in 1864, the famous dentist Thomas Morton was the first to use inhalation ether as an anesthetic. By the way, in those days, 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 anesthetist is not easy. Indeed, in addition to the mandatory availability of specialized medical education, the specified specialist must perfectly know both the human anatomy and the physiology of the body.
An anesthesiologist-resuscitator must also have deep knowledge in the field of the arrangement of cells and organs (in order to instantly diagnose the occurrence of any deviation in the patient).
An important role is played by the personal qualities of the doctor. Such a specialist should be able to work in stressful situations, make the right decisions in unusual situations. In addition, Russian anesthetists are distinguished by such an important quality as compassion and compassion for the patient.
Naturally, the work of an anesthesiologist involves continuous training and the acquisition of new knowledge related to the introduction of new technologies and the release of modern medicines.
Functions and Responsibilities
An anesthetist is a doctor who is required to ensure the safety of the patient during the operation. In this regard, the specified specialist, even before the introduction of anesthesia, should carefully familiarize himself with the patient’s medical history, as well as conduct a personal conversation and examination with him (if necessary). The doctor must find out if the patient has any chronic diseases (for example, heart or lung disease), an allergy to certain drugs.
Only after a comprehensive study of the patient’s personality and disease does the main work of the anesthetist begin.
In addition, an experienced specialist will certainly offer the patient to undergo sensitivity tests, which will help minimize the occurrence of any complications during surgery and after the end 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 in the way it is introduced into the human body, in the number of drugs used, and also in use at different stages of the operation. It is the anesthesiologist-resuscitator who chooses the type of anesthesia that is most suitable for a particular patient.
By the way, most often during the operation, general anesthesia is used , which involves a complete loss of consciousness. In this case, the anesthetist administers the injection intravenously and within 10 seconds the patient loses consciousness. The injection dose 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 using this method, a specific area of ​​the patient’s body is frozen. In this case, the patient is conscious.
Spinal anesthesia is known to many women, as it is widely used in childbirth, spinal and gynecological operations. The anesthesiologist injects a certain area of ​​the spine and after a few minutes the patient ceases to feel pain.
When using any type of anesthesia, the anesthetist-resuscitator monitors and monitors the patient’s physical condition throughout the operation.
"Grey Cardinal"
Despite the fact that the operation itself is carried out by the surgeon, the anesthetist performs at first glance an invisible, but very significant work. An anesthesiologist is that person whose competent and correct actions depend on the life and health of the patient.
So, if during the operation the patient’s condition worsens sharply, it is the anesthetist who takes measures to stabilize the patient’s condition. The specified specialist can perform an indirect heart massage, apply additional anesthesia, stop bleeding and so on.
In addition, it is the anesthetist who gradually takes the patient out of anesthesia and continues to monitor his physical condition after the operation.
Anesthetist or resuscitator?
As already mentioned, an anesthetist is a doctor who specializes in anesthetizing a patient during an operation. And who is a resuscitator?
If you delve into the history, you can find out that the term "anesthesiologist" from the Greek language literally translates as "without feelings." The resuscitator (translated 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 brings the patient into feelings.
Thus, it will be more correct to say that the specialist who is engaged in anesthesia during all kinds of surgical interventions and bringing to life after surgery is not just an anesthetist, but an anesthetist-resuscitator.
Important Tips
The successful outcome of an operation mainly depends on the coordinated and skilled work of doctors. However, the patient himself must follow certain recommendations.
So, experienced anesthetists advise to adhere to the following rules before any surgery:
- at least a week before the date of the proposed operation, to exclude the use of alcoholic beverages and try to give up smoking;
- on the eve of the operation, it is strictly forbidden to take "Aspirin", since this drug significantly increases bleeding;
- exclude animal fats from the diet and consume poultry meat, fish and sour-milk products as much as possible;
- in the event that the patient suffers from coronary heart disease or diabetes, do not stop taking medications prescribed by your doctor;
- Do not hide from the doctor information about the presence of any allergic reactions and other characteristics of the body.
Compliance with these rules will help to reduce the risk of emergencies both during the introduction of anesthesia and surgery, and in the postoperative period.
Summarizing
An anesthetist is very necessary in any medical institution. Patient reviews on the work of these specialists show that trust in doctors of this specialization is enormous. And this is not accidental, because sometimes the life and health of the patient depend on the quality of work performed by the anesthesiologist-resuscitator.
The introduction of anesthesia, monitoring the patient’s condition, gradually bringing to feelings, the implementation of postoperative rehabilitation - all these duties are performed by the anesthesiologist. An operation is considered successful only when the entire team of specialists (surgeons, resuscitation anesthetists and other medical personnel) works smoothly, clearly and competently.