2021 Curriculum learning syllabus: stage 3 special interest areas

Published: 25/02/2021

Anaesthesia for Thoracic Surgery

  • Group 2: 3 to 6 months

Learning outcomes

  • Provides safe perioperative anaesthetic care for a thoracic surgical patient
  • Is capable of leading the delivery of care in this area of anaesthetic practice, to the benefit of both patients and the organisation

Key capabilities 

A

Can assess and management the perioperative care thoracoscopic video assisted lung or pleural biopsy independently

B

Manages independently the perioperative care of patients for a wide range of major thoracic surgical procedures

C

Provides a range of appropriate perioperative multimodal pain management for thoracic procedures

D

Preoperative assessment and anaesthetic management of patients with recurrent pneumothoraces, pleurectomy or bullectomy

E

Manages airway interventions for benign and malignant disease including tracheal stents and tumour debulking

F

Manages independently the patient with pleuro-pulmonary sepsis

Examples of evidence

Experience and logbook:
  • preoperative clinic based assessment of suitability and preparation for surgery of patients with diseases of the lungs, pleura, mediastinum and chest wall
  • a wide range of cases including patients undergoing lung resection, mediastinal surgery, and pleural surgery
  • management of thoracic trauma including haemothorax and pneumothorax
  • management of patients undergoing tracheal surgery.
Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) can be used to demonstrate:
  • pre-operative assessment for thoracic surgical patients including high risk cases
  • understanding of techniques for airway management during tracheal surgery
  • ability to manage patients undergoing lung resection, pleural surgery, mediastinal surgery and diagnostic procedures
  • management of single lung ventilation and its consequences
  • ability to achieve lung isolation with double lumen tubes and bronchial blockers
  • ability to provide safe and effective postoperative analgesia
  • effective list management.
Personal Activities and Personal Reflections may include:
  • national and international meetings related to thoracic anaesthesia
  • presentation at relevant meeting eg abstract or free paper
  • development of guidelines and policies
  • leadership of QI projects related to thoracic anaesthesia
  • leadership training.
Other evidence:
  • satisfactory MSF.

Supervision level

4 - should be able to manage independently with no supervisor involvement (although should inform consultant supervisor as appropriate to local protocols).

Cross links with other domains and capabilities

  • all generic professional domains of learning
  • Perioperative Medicine and Health Promotion
  • General Anaesthesia
  • Regional Anaesthesia
  • Pain