DEPARTMENT OF ANESTHESIOLOGY

The Department of Anesthesiology provides sophisticated anesthetic services to critically ill patients, patients requiring surgery, and those that need to be subdued or rendered unconscious for non-surgical procedures. The department also provides pre-operative evaluation and post operative management of surgical patients in the Recovery Room and Intensive Care Units.

Anesthesiology began as a section of the Department of Surgery. However, as more surgical specialties were opened and its activities became wider and varied, Anesthesiology evolved into a distinct and separate department in 1988.

Today, the Department of Anesthesiology provides services to seven different sites: Hamad General Hospital, Women's Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Day Care Unit, Psychiatry, Radiology, Cardiac Catheterization Lab and, most recently, at the Assisted Conception Unit (IVF).

The department is capable of providing multiple specialty services to teams that deal with life-threatening emergencies: Cardiac Arrest Team and Trauma Team. These two services unite the collaborative efforts of several specialties aimed at providing immediate life-saving measures to critical patients suffering from cardiac arrest or severe trauma. The anesthesiologist's role, in particular, is to provide urgently needed ventilation and resuscitation to the high risk patients.

In addition, the department manages the 12-bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Hamad General Hospital. The Anesthesia Clinic of the department also attends to patients scheduled for surgery and makes further medical assessments.

An Anesthesia Pain Clinic was established in 1995 for patients with chronic pain problems who are referred by other specialties. These and other patients whose illness do not respond to ordinary and conventional therapy are treated at this Clinic.

Statistical Trend

In 1995, a total of 19,932 patients were anesthetized as compared to 17,940 in 1994. Operations in 1992 totaled 15,768 while 1993 posted a total of 16,924 operations. The 1998 figure is expected to register a total of 29,000 operations.

There has been an overall increase of 45% in anesthetic procedures done by the department. A major cause of the increase is the rise in the number of assisted conceptions requiring anesthesia and the number of surgical operations at HGH.

Facilities and Equipment

Between 1985 and 1987, obsolete and outdated anesthetic machines were replaced with newer and sophisticated models. These machines, now referred to as workstations, have the latest anesthesia, ventilator, and monitoring technology.

All intensive care monitors have been replaced with newer versions that have more surveillance features namely: ECG, pulse oximetry, carbon dioxide monitoring, invasive and non-invasive blood pressure monitoring.

The Surgical Intensive Care Unit in particular has been equipped with 12 brand new and sophisticated monitors.

 Training Programs

The Department of Anesthesiology played a vital role in the establishment of the postgraduate Anesthesiology program in the Arab Board of Medical Specializations. Although other Arab Board postgraduate programs were already in place, a training program for the Anesthesiology specialty was not initiated until the organization in 1991 of the First Gulf Conference on Intensive Care Medicine by the HMC Department of Anesthesiology.

During this conference, the Department submitted a proposal for a post graduate program in the specialty. After deliberations by the Scientific Committee of the Pan Arab Association of Anesthesiology, a postgraduate program was finally formulated. The Chairman of Anesthesiology is a member of the Scientific Committee.

In 1993, the residency training program of the Department of Anesthesiology was granted accreditation to the Arab Board of Anesthesiology. To date, five candidates have enrolled in the program. Two have passed the first part and one candidate passed the second part of the examinations.

Weekly scientific meetings are also held as part of the continuing medical education program. Journal topics and case reviews are alternately discussed during these meetings.

Several anesthesiologists within the department have specialized training in intensive care, cardiac care, neurosurgery, pediatric surgery, obstetrics & gynecology and anesthesia

Training programs for Anesthesia Technicians were initiated in 1991. Weekly meetings are held to train and update technical staff on the latest medical technology as well as master the fundamentals of patient management techniques in the specialty.

Future Vision

Several projects are currently in the pipeline and one of which is the proposal to construct four new theaters behind the main Operating Theater at Hamad General.

Meanwhile, additional theaters are scheduled for construction in Rumailah Hospital in 1998 as part of the upgrading of medical services in that facility. The plan is to shift the specialties of plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery to that site.

To be transferred to Rumailah also is the Day Care Surgery Unit. This facility will be expanded in order to cope with the growing the number of wait-listed patients who require minor surgery. The Surgical Intensive Care Unit at HGH will likewise be expanded with the construction of a 12-bed extension in the coming year.