Functionally ReTodded

I got a letter yesterday. I will leave out the names, but the details are plenty.

Dear Mr. TMLSB:

I am the anesthesiologist who took care of you during your heart surgery on November 10, 2005. I am writing to follow-up with you about the difficulty we encountered at the start of your anesthesia. As you may or may not recall, I discussed this problem with you in the Intensive Care Unit after your surgery. “Intubation” is the process by which we place a “breathing tube” into your airway so that we may administer anesthetic gases and maintain your breathing during surgery. In your case, it was difficult to insert this tube.

It is imperative that you notify any anesthesiologist involved in your care that you have a “difficult airway.” There are safety measures and equipment available for our use when intubating a difficult airway. Knowledge and preparation of a potential problem are always best to try to avoid adverse outcomes and to ensure your safety and comfort. Just as a patient would notify his/her anesthesiologist that he/she has a heart problem, you should notify them that you have “a difficult airway.” Explaining to them that intubating you requires “a fiberoptic scope” will help them adminster a safe anesthetic. There also are medical alert bracelets available that should say “difficult airway: fiberoptic intubation required.” I encourage you to obtain one of them.

I assure you that all went well with your anesthetic. However, as the potential for serious injury exists when we are unable to intubate a patient, it is important that you and your family discuss this issue with anesthesiologists involved in your care in the future. Please keep this information with your medical records.

I hope that your recovery from surgery has been going well. If you have questions about your anesthetic management, or if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Dude’s Name, MD
Department of Anesthesiology

Wow. That’s a bit of a thing to read. Two things I know for sure now though are these:

1) I ordered my medic alert thingy today
2) There’s no way I could have blown every person who asked / told / yelled / screamed at me to do so. After all, I have a narrow airway.

Happy intubations everyone.