The evolution of anaesthestics

Posted on 10 June 2014

Anaesthesia has developed radically through the decades – from the early days when pain relief consisted of alcohol, a chunk of wood or even a blow to the head to the highly sophisticated and safe practice it is today. Roger Nattrass, specialist anaesthetist at Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg, answers some questions.

How exactly do anaesthetics work?
They block the signals sent along your nerves to your brain – in other words, the drugs stop the nerve signals that keep you awake and aware from reaching your brain.

How has the digital era changed your job?
Fundamentally! Apps on smartphones can give a patient’s full medical history and lab results in real time. We can also access up-to-date medical opinion whenever we need it.

What is the best part of your job?
For me it’s always been the privilege of looking after my patients’ wellbeing on so many levels, from pre-operative visits to care during a procedure and then following their post-op progress. I also enjoy being part of a team and am constantly amazed and entertained by the continued advances in all fields of peri-operative medicine. Anaesthesia has a finger in every pie so my area immersed in almost all aspects of medicine. It’s interesting to be a part of any operation while also having an understanding of the medical problems our patients may have.

And the worst?
This is a high-stress job that often has long hours. It is very stressful to anaesthetise patients that are high risk and challenging at the end of a long day of similar cases.

What changes would you like to see in order to make your job easier/simpler/more streamlined?
Any improvement in theatre efficiency would help. We are very dependent on our anaesthetic nursing assistants and there is always a shortage of skilled and experienced nurses.

Read more about how anaesthesia has evolved and the different types available.

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The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.