HMC discusses ground breaking practices in Anesthesia to enhance patient care

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) celebrated the 170th anniversary of World Anesthesia Day with a two-day conference that brought together local and international experts to discuss practices that can improve perioperative care, safety and quality in the practice of anesthesia.

The event was jointly organized by HMC’s Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Perioperative Medicine and the Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and CT-ICU at Heart Hospital to commemorate the first successful demonstration of ether anesthesia on 16 October, 1846.

“We recognize this day because the first demonstration of ether anesthesia is considered one of the most significant events in history,” said Professor Abraham E Marcus, Chair of Department of Anesthesiology, ICU and Perioperative Medicine and Patron of the Organizing Committee. “The discovery made it possible for patients to obtain the benefits of surgical treatment without the pain associated with it and it plays an important role in patient care prior to, during and after surgery.”

Today, more than 50,000 patients receive anesthesia services at HMC every year. It is proven to be very safe and studies have shown a dramatic reduction in the anesthesia mortality rate. Perioperative mortality associated with anesthesia and surgery has markedly decreased from 1 in 1,500 in the 1950s to 1 in 250,000 today, despite more complex surgical procedures now being performed.

Anesthesiologists are involved in a number of practices including preoperative optimization, management of high dependency and intensive care units, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, acute and chronic pain management, emergency medicine, disaster management and patient transfers between hospitals.

“Anesthesia is deservingly referred to as the lifeline of modern medicine. Without advancement in this specialty, major surgical operations such as open heart surgeries, neurosurgeries and many other complex surgeries would not be possible,” said Professor Marcus.

To discuss the practice of anesthesiology in Qatar, more than 300 attendees comprising anesthetists, surgeons, nurses, technicians and intensive care unit staff took part in a series of scientific sessions organized to mark the day.

The conference covered important topics ranging on facets of anesthesia and its allied sub-specialties with a focus on quality, safety and outcomes.

The event featured leading international specialists in the field including Professor Harmut Burkle, Director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany; Dr. David Whitaker, Consultant in Anesthesia and Intensive Care at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, United Kingdom; and Mr. David McDonald, Scottish Government Health Directorate, Glasgow, Scotland. 

“Surgical advancement is only possible, when conferences like this one allow anesthetists to come together and share best practices, thereby improving patient care. Without advancement in anesthesia, surgical advancement cannot happen. Major surgical operations such as open heart surgeries, neurosurgeries and many more, were not possible prior to the discovery of anesthesia,” added Professor Marcus.