Trauma Anesthesia

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sweetdreams

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Any trauma anesthesia fellows out there? I'm developing a strong interest in this and am interested in knowing what the training is like along with strong programs to consider

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sweetdreams said:
Any trauma anesthesia fellows out there? I'm developing a strong interest in this and am interested in knowing what the training is like along with strong programs to consider


Do your residency at Univ. of New Mexico in Albuquerque and you won't need a fellowship. Seriously, trauma anesthesia is not a necessary fellowship (unlike trauma surgery) if you get a fair amount in residency. Volume Volume Volume. More scopalomine and follow that with more volume.

OK, maybe I simplified it a little bit but not much.
 
Noyac said:
Do your residency at Univ. of New Mexico in Albuquerque and you won't need a fellowship. Seriously, trauma anesthesia is not a necessary fellowship (unlike trauma surgery) if you get a fair amount in residency. Volume Volume Volume. More scopalomine and follow that with more volume.

OK, maybe I simplified it a little bit but not much.

Same with Southwestern/Parkland and I suspect most major academic + trauma centers.
 
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Noyac said:
Do your residency at Univ. of New Mexico in Albuquerque and you won't need a fellowship. Seriously, trauma anesthesia is not a necessary fellowship (unlike trauma surgery) if you get a fair amount in residency. Volume Volume Volume. More scopalomine and follow that with more volume.

OK, maybe I simplified it a little bit but not much.

No, Noy, youre absolutely right.

Anesthesia cases for a trauma patient, at least intraoperatively, is on a CA-1 level.

Like you said,

volume, volume, volume.

Keep up with blood loss with PRBCs....

keep up with potential coagulopathies with appropriate blood products (FFP, cryo, platelets) and Ca2+.

run hourly labs to keep track of above, as well as pH indices, and intervene as necessary.

keep 'em warm.

keep 'em peeing.

OK, heres the board certification exam answers for the trauma anesthesia certificate:

1) volume
2) blood
3) FFP
4) maybe cryo
5) platelets
6) Ca 2+
7) correct acidosis, metabolic and/or respiratory
8) temperature
9) urine output

WHEW.

Rough test.

:laugh:
 
sweetdreams said:
Any trauma anesthesia fellows out there? I'm developing a strong interest in this and am interested in knowing what the training is like along with strong programs to consider

As has been noted, clinical trauma anesthesia is not challenging....truly a CA-1 case.

However, a lot of trauma anesthesia stuff is ccm related....a lot of post op stuff ...a lot of studying of trauma patients and how to improve survival through making small changes in practice patterns.....ie bickell's timing of resuscictation, etc.
 
If you really want to do trauma, pick a program in a place that gets lots of trauma. I'm sure the residents at those programs will tell you how much they get. We don't get a lot of penetrating trauma at mine, and I don't mind that. To me it means I'm a bit less likely to step in a puddle in the OR and a bit more likely to sleep through the night. Also, many of the places that get a lot of trauma probably aren't the places I'm going to want to live, but that's just me (or more accurately, my wife).

My buddy is just finishing at an east coast program with plenty of trauma and thinks it's highly overrated. However, if it's what you want to do, then by all means do it. Try a search for trauma anesthesiology fellowship on google, and think about a ccm fellowship, especially one that would allow you to do some trauma anesthesia.
 
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