Anaesthetist vs surgeon

07:45

"All the drugs syringed up yet? You never know which one of these elective cases might pulling your leg around" the boss sounded extra cheerful today. Ahah! He musta got himself lucky last nite.

Well lemme see... the 4 epitome of life:

1. atropine -- in case the heart rate goes down


2. ephedrine -- if the BP drops


3. thiopentone -- in case you need to gas them down


4. scoline -- to paralyze the body, if needing rapid sequence induction

07:55

1. gas machine aka GA (general anaesthetic) machine checked --> no leakage


2. intubation trolley all prepared


3. M.A.L.E.S (err just happen so): mask, airway, laryngoscopes, ETT, suction - checked

08:00 Patient is on the operating table. Waiting for surgeon to show up.

08:15 Still waiting for the surgeon

08:30 Idle mode switched on :(

Finally, I can't take it anymore, this is worse than waiting for RAPID KL bus
Me: "Nurse could you check up on dat surgeon... Dr Seymore Butt, whether he's on his way? Thanx"

Nurse: "Well.. he still stucked with his ward round, he's sending down his registrar Dr Buttkiss instead to do the first case"

Me: "Well he better quick! Or he'll be seeing his butt on my shoes instead!"

Wel there you go... great tales of heroic surgeons and their ever-loyal sidekick anaesthetists are so over-rated in Hollywood these days. Their tricky relationship is somewhat similar to a married couple.

The fact is one needs the other to fulfill the meaningful purpose of one's own existence in the operating room.

"...for thy shall neither cut open an awake patient, nor gas him for fun"
--- dead pond scrolls, Jurusalem 586BC

Yet there are times when the two do not get along well. In the eyes of a patient, usually it's the surgeon who stands out. No wonder in the private sector, anaes gotta claim only 30% of surgeon's fees.

+++ EPILOGUE:
11pm
Seymore Butt (phone call): "Allo dude! We got a very bad MVA (motor vehicle accident), 16 year old, Mat Rempit had an argument with a tree and lost. GCS 6/15; small subarachnoid bleed with no midline shift, intubated in ER, diagnostic perioneal lavage was positive ?Intra-ab injury, probably spleen rupture, vital signs stable we're pushing him straight into trauma OT!"

Me to OT team: "Ok guys lets have it all.. I want the whole enchilada! Central line, arterial line, 6 pint pack cell O-ve standing by.. and make sure Dr Butt's ass comes in with the boy! ....and in the meantime could someone make coffee??"

**4 hours later In ICU**

Seymour Butt: "Heh the boy might make it .. He may live to remp-it another day"

Me: "Well the heart lives my friend, we'll just hafta wait and see whether the brain survives, as the great Morpheus once said.. one cannot lives without the other".

We looked at each other in unison and in that brief moment the spirit of camaraderie runs thicker than our blood.

+++