Explore every episode of the podcast Perioperative Medicine Podcast Series

Special guest Belinda Macleod-Smith joins us to discuss the important role of including patients and their loved ones in the process of designing new policies, processes, and models of care.

Dr Priya Rao is a Specialist Anaesthetist at Western Health, with a special interest in obstetric anaesthesia. She joins us to discuss birth trauma, and the important role of the anaesthetist in mitigating the psychological impact of a negative birthing experience.

Critical incidents can have a significant psychological impact on those involved. Such incidents are rare but it is important to have a process in place to enable those involved in such an event to have the opportunity to debrief in a safe and supportive environment. The 'hot debrief' is one such process.

Dr Katrina Pirie is an anaesthetist who is currently completing a PhD on analgesia for abdominal surgery. She joins us to discuss her research, with a focus on intrathecal opioids for minimally invasive surgery.

In 2024 Alfred Health launched an innovative multidisciplinary Perioperative Medical Service to improve the care of surgical patients. In this podcast we talk to Nadine Laurent and Stephanie Jinks, Clinical Nurse Consultants on the Perioperative Service, about the pivotal role nursing staff play as part of the perioperative team.

Prof Warren Clements and Assoc Prof Jim Koukounaras discuss the rapidly expanding role of interventional radiologists in patient care and expertise they bring to the perioperative team.

Professor Warren Clements is an interventional radiologist and researcher at the Alfred hospital and Monash University. In this podcast, Warren discusses the seven habits that he regards as important in helping to become a highly effective clinician-scientist.

If you have just been told that you need an operation, you're now at the start of a surgical journey. It may be a short journey or it may be a long one, but either way this podcast series is here to help you.

A Just Culture in the workplace means that everyone should feel safe to speak up, and leads to open and honest communication, systems thinking, engagement, and participation, where everyone is involved in making improvements. Professor Janet Anderson and Garry Mann, our Human Factors team, talk to Yooralla’s Director of Just Culture Miranda Cornelissen, about the benefits of implementing a Just Culture in the workplace.

The GLP-1 agonists have been generating much discussion and a degree of consternation in the Perioperative Medicine community. Our panel of experts discusses the mode of action, indications, and perioperative implications of this class of medications.

Thuy Bui is the Lead Pharmacist of the Analgesic Stewardship and Perioperative Medicine Services at the Alfred. She discusses the very important role of the pharmacist in all stages of the Perioperative process.

Any patient undergoing a procedure or intervention should be provided with an explanation of the procedure and the risks involved, and be asked to give their consent. Often this is a process that is poorly done or misunderstood by both of the clinician and the patient. Dr Maryanne Balkin discusses the legal and ethical issues surrounding informed consent and the capacity to provide consent.

Increasing numbers of older people are undergoing surgery and adverse outcomes are common within this patient group. Dr Margot Lodge is a Geriatrician with a special interest in Perioperative Medicine. She discusses the role of the geriatrician in Perioperative Medicine and the use of implementation science in adopting new models of care for the older person undergoing surgery.

Dr Lana Vestarkis is an Anaesthetist at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. For her Master of Perioperative Medicine Capstone Project, Lana worked with her colleague Dr Anna Pietzsch to attempt to rationalise preoperative blood testing in the elective surgical setting. Their project is not only having a major impact in their health network but has gone on to win a national prize. Lana and Anna discuss their project, including the challenges faced and the lessons learned when trying to bring about change.

Dr Sarah Wilmot is a GP Anaesthetist in rural Victoria. For her Master of Perioperative Medicine Capstone Project, Sarah redesigned the pre-anaesthetic process in her practice in an effort to improve patient experience. She discusses her project, including the challenges she faced and the lessons learned when trying to bring about change. Note: this podcast was recorded earlier this year. At the time, Sarah had been recently diagnosed with a terminal illness. Despite feeling unwell she was keen to share her project with a wider audience. Tragically Sarah passed away last month. This conversation is shared in memory of Dr Sarah Wilmott and her dedication to the best care of her patients.

In this episode, Dr Olivia Leahy talks to Dr Harry Sivakumar (Anaesthetist and Pain Specialist) and Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones (addiction medicine specialist) about buprenorphine, an opioid analgesic used in the management of acute and perioperative pain, and selectively in chronic pain, as well as in opioid replacement therapy.

SARS-CoV-2 infection increases perioperative risks, both with the acute infection and its aftermath. Accruing data suggests that elective surgery should be deferred for 7 weeks for most types of surgery, although individualised risk assessment may reduce or increase this timeframe. Paul Myles talks with Dr Kariem El-Boghdadly from Guy's Hospital in London, the lead author of a recently published consensus statement arising in the UK.

Methadone creates many challenges for the perioperative physician. In this episode, Dr Olivia Leahy talks with Dr Harry Sivakumar - a fellow of both ANZCA and the faculty of pain medicine - regarding the use of methadone in opioid replacement therapy, chronic pain and acute pain management contexts.

In this episode Dr Adam Sutton talks to Aidan Baron about healthcare for people with diverse genders. They explore healthcare outcomes, what is meant by gender identity, gender expression, sex and attraction and how these relate to the LGBTQIA PLUS acronym. Aidan provides insights as to how to improve communication and engagement with this community and an overview of gender affirming medical care in Australia.

The Australian health care sector makes up approximately 7% of Australia’s national carbon footprint. In this episode Jamie Smart talks to Dr Eugenie Kayak, the national convenor of Doctors for the Environment Australia’s Sustainable Healthcare Special Interest Group. They discuss the impact of healthcare on climate change, and the steps necessary for a more environmentally sustainable future.

In this episode Joff Lacey talks to Hilary Madder, consultant anaesthetist at The Alfred and former Clinical Director of Neurosciences Intensive Care at the John Radcliffe, in Oxford. They explore the growing sub-speciality of neurocritical care, including the rationale for the development of specialised neuro intensive care units, the evidence of impact on patient outcome and what may be the key determinants of improved clinical care.

In this episode, Prof Rachelle Buchbinder and Prof Ian Harris join us for a discussion on their new thought-provoking book, Hippocrasy. Through the lens of the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath, the book explores medical overdiagnosis, over-investigation and over-treatment­—and why doctors sometimes cause more harm than healing.

Postoperative delirium is a serious complication of surgery associated with prolonged hospitalisation, long-term cognitive decline, and mortality. Associate Professor Lisbeth Evered joined us from New York to discuss her recent paper, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, with Associate Professor Christine Ball. This important paper resulted from a sub-study of the BALANCED trial to determine whether targeting bispectral index (BIS) readings of 50 (light anaesthesia) was associated with a lower incidence of POD than targeting BIS readings of 35 (deep anaesthesia).

Dexamethasone is widely used by anaesthetists in the perioperative period, principally as an effective antiemetic to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The molecular mechanisms underlying dexamethasone’s antiemetic action are not fully understood. However, because it is a potent glucocorticosteroid, it is has immunosuppressive and hyperglycaemia effects. It is hypothesised that these actions may increase the risk of perioperative infections, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus, who are already at increased risk of complications. Whether the use of dexamethasone in the perioperative period increases the risk of surgical site and other infections, has not been definitively established. This is an important health priority as in Australia alone up to one million patients will receive dexamethasone as part of their anaesthesia care annually. This study aims to definitively address the impact of dexamethasone on surgical site infection and will be stratified according to diabetes status.

Professor Toby Richards, (the Lawrence-Brown Professor of Vascular Surgery at the University of Western Australia) joins Dr Jonathan Nicholson, Dr Ron Glick and Dr Alan Peirce to discus the PREVENTT trial. Published in the LANCET (Sept, 2020), PREVENTT was a landmark RCT investigating preoperative iron transfusion prior to major abdominal surgery and its impact on postoperative mortality and overall transfusion rates.

Professor Robert Sanders, Nuffield Professor of Anaesthesia at Sydney University joins Dr Ron Glick and Dr Alan Peirce to discuss the NEUROVISION study (Lancet, 2019) and its relevance to anaesthetic practice, and current and future directions of research in perioperative cognitive dysfunction.

Professor Myles is the co-author of an editorial accompanying a paper published in this week's the Lancet, looking at mortality and pulmonary complications in COVID-19 positive patients undergoing surgery. He discusses the implications of this trial on elective surgery and planning for future pandemics.

Dr Mark Shulman talks to Dr Justin Burke about assessing the perioperative function of obese patients undergoing non-bariatric surgery.

Dr Lakmini De Silva is discussing with Dr Harry Gibbs and Ms Joanne Gibbs regarding Wellbeing during COVID-19 outbreak

Professor Ramani Moonesinghe discusses the preoperative assessment of high-risk patients scheduled for major noncardiac surgery preoperatively.

An insider's view of how the major medical journals function, what types of articles they're looking for, and why an anaesthesia study could be of interest to a broader medical audience.

With the start of the first national perioperative audit - The Australian and New Zealand National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (ANZELA), Dr Jonathan Nicholson discusses the project with Dr Tom Poulton, an anaesthesiologist and research fellow with the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia (NIAA) and Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) in the UK who was involved in the UK NELA project. He discusses the experience learnt from this quality assurance project and the results of the nationwide quality improvement research project (EPOCH) that was published in the Lancet earlier this year that trialed the introduction of a pathway for patients requiring an Emergency Laparotomy.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an increasingly recognised but commonly misunderstood condition. Cardiologist Dr Angeline Leet and POM5102 coordinator Dr Marissa Ferguson discuss the diagnosis, optimisation and perioperative management of patients with HFpEF.

How can human factors engineering improve the perioperative experience of our patients? Resident expert Dr Stuart Marshall discusses the role of human factors in designing better perioperative care pathways and processes.

Health economics is the branch of economics concerned with the costs, effectiveness and consumption of healthcare. Professor Danny Liew discusses why clinicians should give greater consideration to health economics, and the importance of using Real World Evidence in analysing the cost and value of perioperative interventions.

Professor David Scott discusses perioperative cognitive outcomes and why new nomenclature was needed.

Dr Brian Chen discusses common Postoperative Pulmonary Complications and their impact on patients and the health care system. He explores risk predictors and key perioperative prevention measures. An important topic for all perioperative clinicians.

Dr Jonathan Nicholson asks Dr Justin Burke how to safely navigate patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors through the perioperative period. Clinical dilemmas are discussed and practical guidance provided with discussion involving recent publications on detection, prevention and management of euglycaemic ketoacidosis.

The use of slow release opioids in the perioperative period has been associated with respiratory depression, increased chronic post-surgical pain and other serious adverse events. Pain specialist Dr Kerry McLaughlin discusses ways to minimise these risks including the role of \'safer opioids\' and perioperative opioid sparing techniques.

It is important to audit surgical outcomes if we are going to provide high quality health care. Professor Paul Myles discusses a novel outcome measure, days at home 30 days after surgery, and why a recent paper utilising this measure may be one of the most important he has written to date.

Pregabalin is an analgesic agent which has attracted some adverse publicity recently. Prof David Scott discusses the appropriate use of this non-opioid analgesic agent.

Dr Mark Shulman is a member of the METS study investigation team whose work was published in the Lancet in 2018. Additionally he is the primary author of a recently published substudy addressing pre operative functional and biomarker assessment as it pertains to patient centred outcomes. In this podcast Mark outlines the findings of both studies to help the modern day perioperative physician negotiate the management of patients with a significant cardiac risk factor burden in this challenging phase of care.

In 2016, the WHO made a strong recommendation that certain patients should have 80% oxygen administered in the immediate postoperative period for 2-6 hours to decrease the risk of surgical site infection. Prof Paul Myles discusses the reasons this recommendation disturbed him and his subsequent actions.

Air Vice-Marshal Tracy Smart is the Commander of Joint Health Command and the Surgeon General of the Australian Defence Force. She is the highest ranking uniformed medical officer in the Australian Defence Force and only the third woman to reach 2-Star-rank in the history of the Royal Australian Air Force. She recently delivered the Kester Brown Address at the Australian Society of Anaesthetist's National Scientific Congress in Adelaide. In this episode, AVM Smart speaks with Dr Simon Hendel about leading cultural change. Dr Simon Hendel is an anaesthetist and trauma consultant at the Alfred and a lecturer in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Monash University. Note: The number of women in Defence is currently 17.9%, not 20% as quoted.

Burns can be a confronting and challenging clinical problem which present significant issues for the perioperative practitioner. In this episode, Dr Simon Hendel speaks with Dr Heather Cleland, consultant plastic surgeon and director of the Victorian Adult Burns Service at The Alfred Hospital, to gain insights into the diagnosis, management and prognosis of acute severe burns.

Interview with Dr Kym Jenkins, president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. Discussion about the mental health of the medical professional. Recent medial coverage, what we know, common themes of unhappy doctors and future directions.

Massive transfusions are not confined to major teaching hospitals or to trauma centres – they can occur in many other settings. In this podcast, Dr Simon Hendel discusses the use of massive transfusions and massive transfusion protocols. In particular, he explores the issue of pre-hospital resuscitation and how a massive transfusion protocol may be helpful even in a remote country hospital with limited resources.

Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents is a rare but serious complication of anaesthesia. Fasting prior to surgery to minimise the risk of aspiration has been an accepted necessity of preoperative care for decades. In this podcast, Dr Jonathan Nicholson discusses some of the evidence surrounding modern fasting practices. He will explore some of the newer approaches to preoperative fasting that have been prompted by a focus on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols and how to ensure patients who are fasting aren't necessarily starving.

Dr Jonathan Nicholson interviews principal investigator Professor Paul Myles on the results of the RELIEF trial - a large randomised controlled trial looking at liberal vs. restrictive fluid therapy during and after major abdominal surgery.

In an ageing population, the percentage of patients undergoing surgery aged over 65 years is increasing. Dr Margot Lodge, Geriatrician, discusses the importance of understanding the changes in cognition that can occur across the perioperative period.