| Individual Placement Description | |
|---|---|
| Placement | Cardiothoracic Intensive Care |
| Year | F2 |
| Region | South-East |
| Hospital(s) | Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh |
| Main Duties of Placement | Peri-operative management of cardiac surgery patients in an ICU/HDU setting. Participating in ward rounds, reviewing post-op patients, liaising with other specialties including microbiology, haematology, cardiology, renal and stroke medicine. First port of call for patients with abnormal physiology, which is meticulously managed on the unit. |
| Typical Work Pattern | Morning ward round starts at 08:00, with the day finishing at either 16:30 or 18:00. Some back shifts (15:00-21:15) providing ward 102 and ICU/HDU junior cover. 1 in 4 weekends and occasional HAN responsibilities. |
| Learning Opportunities | Exposure to specialist equipment used in ICU (ventilators, intra-aortic balloon pumps, external pacemakers, haemofiltration etc.) as well as opportunities to go to theatre when ward cover allows. Opportunities to attempt more advanced procedures such as surgical chest drain insertion, arterial lines and CVP lines under supervision. |
| Teaching | Departmental cardiothoracic journal club weekly on Wednesday afternoons where juniors are encouraged to present academic papers for discussion.
|
| Unique Selling Points | Opportunities to perform practical procedures, gain familiarity and more confidence with intensive care equipment and drugs used for multi-organ support and develop fluency in the recognition and management of the diverse complications arising from cardiac surgery. Well-supported by surgical registrars and ‘in house’ anaesthetic consultants. |
| It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change. | |
