I am an anaesthetic ODP

[probablynotthesame]

Hi everyone I work in anaesthetics as an operating department practitioner (ODP) I specialise in paediatric and head and neck surgery although I do do other specialties. I have worked in district, private, cancer specialists and currently in a NHS university hospital. AMA!

Not that I recall though I think I was suffering shock to be honest. Would that mean I'm best to avoid future epidural? I've been ok with general thank goodness

I have heard that natural redheads need more anaesthetic and respond badly to it. In your experience, is this true?

Hi OP

Can I ask if slow anaesthetists annoy you as much as they do my Consultant? My trust is undergoing an audit at the moment re theatres and the main delay seems to be slow anaesthetists that delays knife to skin time. As you'll be aware each procedure has a code in the IT theatre system whereby each procedure will have a time allocated - thereby enabling how many patients can go on a list. What our Consultants are annoyed about is that it doesn't take into account these slow anaesthetists - and would you agree that those anaesthetists working in acute hospitals are generally 'faster' than those in 'general' hospitals?

There have been several threads about women's gynaecological problems where lots of women say their pain is not taken seriously. This also seems to happen in labour as well.

Would you say there is sexism in anaesthetics ?
Are different pains treated more seriously than others?

Natural red heads are definitely susceptible to bleed more.

Ah the theatre delay times...well they aren't always documented accurately and I often find 'anaesthetic delay' is the go to because it's generally the scrub side that document this. The only place you'll get a fast anaesthetist is in private hospitals!

I am currently being tested for EDS and fibromyalgia. When I had spinal fusion surgery the anaesthetist said that people with those conditions seem to metabolise anaesthetics quicker but can have more adverse effects from medications or anaesthetics. It is definitely true in my case!

I am a redhead and have 3 C sections - 1st spinal wore off before end of op - it was utterly horrific - still have nightmares about it, 2 nd section I was allocated consultant anaesthetist and once again it wore off but this experienced doctor pumped me full of some insane drug that was amazing - didn't care whether they had lifted out a human or a baby calf.
3 section another horrific experience - spinal plus epidural - took them calling another consultant to get me sorted - was awful.
At the dentist I am the same - dentist said he had given me enough to numb an elephant!

Hi @SittingAround1 in my experience I haven't ever worked with an anaesthetist that didn't take the patients pain seriously no matter their gender, age, operation etc. If I did I would certainly raise my concerns.

It's important to remember there are several factors the anaesthetist will be thinking about when dealing with pain.

The situation, if the patient is pregnant you need to think about the drugs that won't affect the foetus.

The drugs they have already had, have they been given enough time to work? Drugs have what is called a half life.

You wouldn't want to overdose patient nor make them sick or unconscious which pain relief can cause.

Ah the theatre delay times...well they aren't always documented accurately and I often find 'anaesthetic delay' is the go to because it's generally the scrub side that document this. The only place you'll get a fast anaesthetist is in private hospitals! wink

Ha - have to agree with the accurate documentation - there's many a time a relative has rang and asked how things are proceeding, I'll look on the theatre database and they're in theatre - when in reality they haven't been called for yet

I have to disagree that you'd only get a 'fast anaesthetist' in private practice - consultants do groan if they get a certain anaesthetist on their list.

As an aside - I mentioned our trust (one of the top performing ones) was undergoing an audit re theatres. I was horrified to learn that last year 1,000 extra operations that year could have been performed if theatre time had been allocated appropriately.

Of course @tiddliewinkiewoo my comment was lighthearted 😊 that is bad though if a patient is showing up in theatre if they aren't actually there, we have a 'sent for' and 'in theatre' do you have the same?

It's a sad reality that many hundreds of hours of theatre time is wasted for various reasons, it's frustrating for us all and we do honestly try our best to fill that time but it's often multiple factors out of our control that lead to this.

Do you ever do the intubation/airway or is always the anaesthetist that does it?

We get to be involved with intubations and airway management as it's within our scope of practice. It is up to the anaesthetist to use their judgement if it is appropriate and us to only do it if we feel competent.

Thank you for your reply. I have to say I've only had good experiences with anaesthetists. They all seem very happy with their jobs.

Thanks for all this, OP. Fascinating.

I mentioned this thread to a friend of mine who works as a tech on the 999 ambulances. She was really interested, but I then saw it had to be a uni degree.

Do you know if there is any way in to a shortened course that accommodates previous knowledge and experience, or is the job of an ODP far too specialised for much of her experience to be useful?

Hi op. I had an epidural years ago during labour. I had a button I could press for pain relief. Further along my labour the epidural wasn't working, so I was getting full contractions. Not long after this I was rushed in for emergency c section, I imagine I was given a spinal block? I then could feel them cutting and they had to increase my pain relief. I was knocked out after birth for 24 hours. This has scared me for future c sections or labour. Why would my epidural not have worked?

@oxcat1 I'm glad I've inspired your friend! Her current knowledge would be great to transfer into being an ODP.

If she doesn't want to go to uni she may be able to do the course in an apprenticeship style kind of way. So would be being paid around a band 2 wage whilst doing the course at university through her employment within the hospital if that makes sense?

The best thing for her to do would be to contact the educational team within the theatre department at her local hospitals, large university hospitals are probably her best bet if you have any near? I wish her luck!!

@usernameismyusername I'm sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience. It could be possible if the epidural had been working that the catheter may have moved therefore wouldn't be as effective. Unfortunately failed epidurals are a risk.

They may have given you a spinal block or re done the epidural, if they were topping it up throughout your c section it would have been an epidural. Did you mean they put you off to sleep in theatre?

You can opt for an elective section, which means there will be plenty of time to put a spinal/epidural in for you, and is more gently controlled than when labouring ie no contractions or foetal distress etc to contend with!

However if you want to aim for a natural birth next time I would recommend you speak to your obstetric consultant and understand exactly what lead you to be in theatre and chances of a natural birth next time.I hope this helps a little.

How long afterwards do GA effect you for? I drank alcohol about a week after one and was horrendously sick. A nurse I was with said it was probably still the GA in my system.

@Sharpandshineyteeth generally speaking you will be told not to drink/drive/operate heavy machinery or be alone for 24hours following a GA.

I doubt it was the anaesthetic that made you feel like that after a week, it could have been antibiotics, pain relief or any other medications you may have been on? Also it's important to bear in mind your body is repairing itself from surgery so that could have been a factor of you feeling so bad.

Probably just a numpty that drank too much!! Made me feel better when I was puking into a plastic bag though.

Is it true that a certain percentage of people have a genetic intolerance to certain drugs? I am totally resistant to Valium and Midazolam, they do absolutely nothing for me. That was a fun one, having full dose Fentanyl and Midazolam for a colonoscopy and being fully alert and awake! Oh the pain

I also have fibromyalgia and IBS

@RabCNesbitt. This is true for some people with some connective tissue disorders, it’s the same for me and is written all over my notes, I have a fentanyl patch and I feel it’s a bit hopeless,have worn it while going for surgery, was awake through all of their added fentanyl and then they had to give me extra anaesthetic.

Do you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? I do and this is a common problem

I read an article that someone posted online which was essentially a whistleblow from a hospital IT technician in (iirc) the US. He claimed that he had been in the theatre alone with naked, anaesthetised patients when dealing with an IT issue on more than one occasion.

It didn’t paint a great picture! Are there protocols in place that might prevent this kind of thing happening here? Appreciate it may not be accurate in the first place but it got me thinking!

I’ve done placements in theatres and I can’t imagine that would ever happen Myboy. Unconscious patients are obviously incredibly vulnerable and need to be monitored constantly to make sure they’re breathing etc. They are never ever left alone and ime there are at least 6-8 staff members in the theatre at all times.

Hi OP. Do you wear a mask to deliver a spinal block? Or think that everyone should?