For students of airway management, the Department of Anesthesiology offered several unique opportunities for hands-on learning during the past week.
In Dr. Meghann Fitzgerald's Mixed Teaching Series, anesthesiology residents lined up to practice fiberoptic intubation, retrograde intubations, and emergency cricothyrotomies on a manikin. It was part of a workshop on managing difficult airways that featured simulation equipment, fiberoptic technology, exchange catheters, and bronchial blockers.
A resident practices new techniques on a manikin.
“It’s an opportunity for them to learn procedures including invasive airway procedures and fiberoptic intubations,” said Dr. Fitzgerald, assistant professor of anesthesiology, adding that it was a valuable chance "for residents to have exposure to something we don’t do on a routine basis.”
Advanced airway maneuvers were also featured in the medical college's Anatomy Lab, where Dr. Eric Brumberger, assistant professor of anesthesiology, and Dr. Gunisha Kaur, instructor in anesthesiology, were invited to teach fiberoptic intubation, videolaryngoscopy, and rescue intubation with fiberoptic through an LMA. Residents and fellows from pulmonary/critical care, pediatric ICU, and emergency medicine crowded around cadaver stations to practice the techniques.
“As anesthesiologists, we’re all about the airway,” explained Dr. Kaur. “This was an opportunity to learn and teach about it in a really different setting.”
Related Information:
Department of Anesthesiology Residency Program