Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Emergency Medical Care
Resuscitation
Know the adult and pediatric BLS/ALS algorithm: recognition, calling for help, high-quality chest compressions (rate, depth, recoil), airway management, ventilation, defibrillation for shockable rhythms, and drugs (adrenaline, amiodarone). Understand reversible causes (the Hs and Ts).
Perioperative anesthesia
Concepts: preanesthetic assessment, ASA classification, airway assessment (Mallampati), types of anesthesia (general, regional, local), monitoring standards, and postoperative care. Recognize malignant hyperthermia and anaphylaxis as emergencies.
Emergency care
Approach to shock (hypovolemic, cardiogenic, distributive, obstructive), anaphylaxis (adrenaline IM first), airway obstruction, and acute poisoning. Understand triage principles and the chain of survival.
Traps
- Delaying defibrillation or compressions to secure an airway.
- Giving antihistamines before adrenaline in anaphylaxis.
- Confusing shock types; the trap is treating all shock with fluids.
Rule of thumb
In cardiac arrest: compressions first, defibrillate shockable rhythms as soon as possible, and follow the algorithm. In anaphylaxis: intramuscular adrenaline is the first and most important drug.
Worked example
A patient collapses with ventricular fibrillation: the correct action is immediate defibrillation and high-quality CPR, not waiting for medications. The trap answer that starts with adrenaline infusion is wrong because defibrillation is time-critical.