37372 - Anesthesiology 2 (LZ-B)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have acquired:

• A sound understanding of the principles of general and regional anesthesia, including the indications, relative and absolute contraindications, associated risks, and safety considerations of the different anesthetic techniques.
• Fundamental knowledge of pain in clinical practice. In particular, students will be able to understand:
  • the socio-clinical and epidemiological aspects of pain in both pre-hospital and in-hospital settings;
  • the neurophysiological and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying pain, as well as its classification, providing the rationale for pain management;
  • pain assessment methods and validated pain measurement scales;
  • the basic principles of pharmacological and interventional pain management.
• The fundamentals of basic and advanced life support (BLS and ALS), including resuscitation and emergency care, with particular reference to the organization of the pre-hospital emergency medical system in the Emilia-Romagna Region.
• The principles of the management of the critically ill patient (intensive care medicine), including the diagnosis of brain death, organ donation, and ethical aspects related to the limitation of life-sustaining treatments and the criteria for admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Course contents

1. Principles of Anesthesiology

• Introduction to anesthesiology.
• Preoperative patient assessment.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification.
• Principles of general anesthesia.
• Principles of regional anesthesia.

2. Cardiovascular Monitoring and Support

• Basic cardiac anatomy and physiology.
• Principles of hemodynamic monitoring.
• Basic principles of perioperative echocardiography.
• Cardiogenic shock: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management.
• Mechanical circulatory support: indications and basic principles.
• Introduction to intensive care medicine.

3. Basic Life Support and Airway Management

• Principles of basic airway management and airway devices.
• Bag-mask ventilation.
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): principles of chest compressions.
• Defibrillation: basic concepts and principles of defibrillator use.

4. Practical Training

• Hands-on simulation sessions including:
  • bag-mask ventilation;
  • chest compressions;
  • basic airway management skills;
  • basic use of the defibrillator.
• Peripheral intravenous catheter insertion using a simulation manikin.
• Simulation-based management of emergency clinical scenarios applying the skills acquired.

Readings/Bibliography

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture slides and educational materials provided by the instructor constitute the primary learning resources for the course.

For further study and in-depth coverage of the topics addressed, students are encouraged to consult the following textbooks:

• Butterworth J.F., Mackey D.C., Wasnick J.D. Morgan & Mikhail's Clinical Anesthesiology. 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill Education, 2022.
• Pardo M.C., Miller R.D. Basics of Anesthesia. 8th Edition. Elsevier, 2022.
• Gropper M.A., Eriksson L.I., Fleisher L.A., Cohen N.H., Leslie K., Johnson-Akeju O. (Eds.). Miller's Anesthesia. 10th Edition. Elsevier, 2024.

Students are also encouraged to consult the latest evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements issued by leading scientific societies, including:

• European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC)
• European Resuscitation Council (ERC)
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)

Recommended Scientific Journals

• Anesthesiology
• British Journal of Anaesthesia
• European Journal of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
• Intensive Care Medicine
• Critical Care
• Resuscitation

These resources provide comprehensive coverage of the principles of anesthesiology, perioperative medicine, intensive care, resuscitation, hemodynamic monitoring, and evidence-based management of critically ill patients.

Teaching methods

The course is delivered through interactive lectures designed to provide students with the fundamental principles of anesthesiology, perioperative medicine, cardiovascular physiology, hemodynamic monitoring, and the management of critically ill patients.

Teaching activities are complemented by hands-on practical sessions using simulation manikins, allowing students to develop basic skills in bag-mask ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic airway management, peripheral intravenous catheter insertion, and the use of a defibrillator.

During the course, multimedia teaching resources, current clinical practice guidelines, and simulation-based scenarios are used to facilitate the understanding and application of theoretical concepts to clinical practice.

The course promotes an evidence-based medicine (EBM) approach, integrating theoretical knowledge with practical training to develop clinical reasoning, technical skills, teamwork, and patient safety awareness in emergency and perioperative settings.

Assessment methods

Assessment consists of a theoretical and practical examination designed to evaluate the achievement of the course learning objectives.

The assessment includes an oral examination, which may be supplemented by the discussion of clinical cases, together with an evaluation of the practical skills acquired during the simulation-based training sessions.

The examination assesses the student's ability to:

• describe the principles of general and regional anesthesia;
• explain the principles of preoperative assessment and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification;
• discuss the principles of perioperative monitoring and hemodynamic support;
• recognize and manage common cardiorespiratory emergencies according to basic life support algorithms;
  

Assessment is based on the accuracy and completeness of the knowledge acquired, the appropriate use of scientific terminology, the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to clinical scenarios, and the level of competence demonstrated during the practical sessions.

The final grade is expressed on a 30-point scale (out of 30).

Teaching tools

The course makes use of traditional and digital teaching resources, as well as simulation-based training, to promote the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and fundamental practical skills in anesthesiology and emergency medicine.

Office hours

See the website of Fabrizio Monaco