My name is Dr Edwin Djabatey and I am a consultant anaesthetist from the Tom Bryson Department of Anaesthesia, Liverpool Women's Hospital.
16th October marks the 175th year of the first successful public demonstration of ether anaesthesia. This demonstrated that for the first time it was possible for patients to undergo surgery without the pain previously associated with.
From these humble beginnings, anaesthesia has developed into a specialty which underpins all hospital medicine specialties. Anaesthetists also work in Perioperative, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine. Anaesthesia is global.
In the UK, Anaesthesia is the single biggest hospital specialty and anaesthetists are involved in the care of over 70% of hospital admissions.
One thing which has become obvious from the Covid-19 crisis is the value of the Anaesthesia and Theatre Teams to hospitals and the community in general.
I would like to invite you all to join us in celebrating World Anaesthesia Day 2021.
The RCOA website https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/ has a lot of podcasts and resources which explains how anaesthesia impacts on all of our lives.
Please support your local anaesthesia and theatre teams.
'Happy World Anaesthesia Day'