"Technique is fine, work on your strength!"

[14970]

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Planning to do an audition rotation in October for anesthesiology and would like advice about working out certain muscle groups in my left arm that could help me lift better. I already did one month of anesthesia and noticed I had trouble with the heavy-set patients. One of the anesthesiologists chuckled and said "you technique is fine, you just need to work on those tiny muscles of yours!" Hmmm...you think that's true? I have to say that my arms are rather thin and lack muscle strength but I always thought that practice would improve my success.. Anyways, I'm planning to get back to shape after my boards and would like suggestions on working out my arms. What muscles do we use for intubations?

 

[Goose...Fraba]

Planning to do an audition rotation in October for anesthesiology and would like advice about working out certain muscle groups in my left arm that could help me lift better. I already did one month of anesthesia and noticed I had trouble with the heavy-set patients. One of the anesthesiologists chuckled and said "you technique is fine, you just need to work on those tiny muscles of yours!" Hmmm...you think that's true? I have to say that my arms are rather thin and lack muscle strength but I always thought that practice would improve my success.. Anyways, I'm planning to get back to shape after my boards and would like suggestions on working out my arms. What muscles do we use for intubations?

I could make a great joke about techniques of increasing forearm strength but I will defer because of the women and children that may be reading this.........

 

[Frank Rizzo]

Planning to do an audition rotation in October for anesthesiology and would like advice about working out certain muscle groups in my left arm that could help me lift better. I already did one month of anesthesia and noticed I had trouble with the heavy-set patients. One of the anesthesiologists chuckled and said "you technique is fine, you just need to work on those tiny muscles of yours!" Hmmm...you think that's true? I have to say that my arms are rather thin and lack muscle strength but I always thought that practice would improve my success.. Anyways, I'm planning to get back to shape after my boards and would like suggestions on working out my arms. What muscles do we use for intubations?

If you're not ripped, you need not apply!

 

[14970]

😱 Hey! I'm being serious! Any suggestions?

 

[coccygodynia]

😱 Hey! I'm being serious! Any suggestions?

I'm assuming you're a female. Hold a 10-15lb dumbbell in your left hand, keeping your arm straight to slightly bent at the elbow, thumb up, and lift perpendicular to your chest (make a 90 degree angle with your arm and chest). Do some bicep curls with the same arm.

Unless you do laryngoscopy with your right hand, these 2 exercises should help improve the strength of your biceps, your anterior, middle and posterior deltoid, as well as the clavicular part of your left pectoralis major. The lifting motion will also help train your arm not to fulcrum back once you start intubating patients again.

BTW - you should probably do both arms, so you don't end up having one bionic arm - people will laugh.

 

[UTSouthwestern]

I'm assuming you're a female. Hold a 10-15lb dumbbell in your left hand, keeping your arm straight to slightly bent at the elbow, thumb up, and lift perpendicular to your chest (make a 90 degree angle with your arm and chest). Do some bicep curls with the same arm.

Unless you do laryngoscopy with your right hand, these 2 exercises should help improve the strength of your biceps, your anterior, middle and posterior deltoid, as well as the clavicular part of your left pectoralis major. The lifting motion will also help train your arm not to fulcrum back once you start intubating patients again.

BTW - you should probably do both arms, so you don't end up having one bionic arm - people will laugh.

I would add that for those of you with back problems, and those who would like to avoid back problems, raising the patient to the level of your sternum, using a wide base with your legs, and bending your knees a little like you are going to do a squat will increase your lifting strength during laryngoscopy. Sometimes you actually have to lift up like you are doing a squat with your entire body. It has been too numerous to recall the number of times I have seen young residents just bend over a patient on a table that is all the way to the ground and use their hips/back as a pivot point. It will catch up to you.

Repetition will develop your arm strength, but the weight lifting with 5-15 pound weights won't hurt, unless you overdo it and sprain your wrist, forearm, or biceps. The goal isn't to become a female Arnold.

 

[VolatileAgent]

Unless you do laryngoscopy with your right hand

you don't ever do direct laryngoscopy with your right hand. no one does, not even lefties. i'd say if you are still having trouble seeing the cords with good technique you probably either don't have the patient relaxed enough or you have a difficult airway or you don't have the patient positioned properly (sniffing), etc. i've seen a lot of weaklings intubate just fine. i think your attending was just using that opportunity to bust on your tiny guns. you should be able to do it with your skinny arms unless your technique really isn't all that good or you otherwise have suboptimal conditions.

 

[Goose...Fraba]

I'm assuming you're a female.

crap, I didnt even think of the possibility of the OP being female.....disregard my last post.........

goose "likes to put his foot in his mouth" fraba 😳

 

[coccygodynia]

you don't ever do direct laryngoscopy with your right hand. no one does, not even lefties. i'd say if you are still having trouble seeing the cords with good technique you probably either don't have the patient relaxed enough or you have a difficult airway or you don't have the patient positioned properly (sniffing), etc. i've seen a lot of weaklings intubate just fine. i think your attending was just using that opportunity to bust on your tiny guns. you should be able to do it with your skinny arms unless your technique really isn't all that good or you otherwise have suboptimal conditions.

Actually - a friend had to learn laryngoscopy with his right hand d/t a broken left wrist (there are blades made for right handed laryngoscopy, also). Was a good learning experience for him, and he still does it on occasion.

 

[coccygodynia]

crap, I didnt even think of the possibility of the OP being female.....disregard my last post.........

goose "likes to put his foot in his mouth" fraba 😳

No worries, Goose. Your suggestion will also work for females. 🙂