This course provides a broad orientation to the basic principles of anesthesia practice and the perioperative setting. The focus of the course includes didactic and practical instruction on anesthesia delivery systems, machines, airway equipment, monitoring devices, anesthetic techniques, fluid/volume assessment and management, anesthesia-focused pre-operative assessment, patient positioning, basic and difficult airway management, acute and chronic pain management, and clinical dosage calculations. Additionally, students will learn and develop proficiency in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), enabling them to combine physical examination findings with POCUS results for improved clinical decision-making, particularly in adult surgical patients. Through hands-on practice in a laboratory setting, students will have sufficient time to refine their POCUS techniques, anesthesia-focused pre-operative assessment, and patient positioning skills.
Course Objectives:
1. Synthesize advanced knowledge of monitored anesthesia care (MAC), sedation, and acute pain management—including physiologic alterations and practice challenges—to design safe, evidence-based perioperative strategies for adult patients.
2. Integrate and apply comprehensive perioperative assessment skills, including advanced physical examination, risk stratification, and interpretation of clinical findings, to inform individualized anesthesia care.
3. Critically appraise and implement monitoring modalities (e.g., ECG, invasive/non-invasive blood pressure, capnography, neuromuscular, depth of anesthesia) to optimize patient safety and outcomes throughout the perioperative period.
4. Evaluate the structure, function, and safety features of anesthesia delivery systems and airway equipment, and design effective airway management plans—including use of advanced airway adjuncts and algorithms for difficult airway scenarios.
5. Design and execute individualized fluid and blood management strategies, incorporating evidence-based protocols for transfusion, blood conservation, and goal-directed therapy in surgical patients.
6. Apply principles of clinical mathematics and pharmacology, including drug dosage calculations, to ensure precise and safe anesthesia administration.
7. Appraise and utilize point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) vascular access, airway, pulmonary, gastric, and hemodynamic assessments, integrating findings into perioperative clinical decision-making.
8. Assess and mitigate the physiologic effects and potential complications associated with patient positioning during anesthesia, employing strategies to prevent perioperative injury.
9. Demonstrate professional, ethical, and legal standards in documentation, communication, and clinical decision-making throughout the perioperative process.
