Machines

A lot of beginning anesthesia residency is understanding the machine, and it's a little overwhelming at first. This is in contrast to medicine where I did not have to learn any complex tools (the ultrasound is as far as I got). Anesthesia machines remind me of computers. They are incredibly powerful, automated, and complex. Different companies make different models, and we have to be facile in going from one machine to another. There are lots of connections, plugs, mechanical switches, and buttons. The interface isn't entirely intuitive, but seems like something I'll figure out as I start playing with it. A massive amount of information is generated, and our job is to interpret all of that to keep the patient safe. Today, we learned to do the machine check - to run through a daily algorithm that tests every failsafe and critical aspect of the ventilator, gas delivery systems, monitors, and connections. It's a little daunting as we are expected to troubleshoot any problems or malfunction of the machine all while keeping the patient safe. But I like technology, and so I think picking this up will come pretty quickly.

Image of Datex Ohmeda anesthesia machine is in the public domain, from Wikipedia.