Lesson 1Focused history taking: comorbidities, OSA screening (STOP-Bang), functional status, medication review, fasting statusCovers step-by-step preoperative history with focus on health issues, sleep apnoea checks using tools like STOP-Bang, daily activities, medicine and allergy checks, and fasting, to spot changeable risks and plan anaesthesia and improvements in Gambian clinics.
Main health issues and past anaesthesia storiesSTOP-Bang and other sleep apnoea check toolsChecking daily activities and exercise abilityMedicine, allergy, and blood thinner checksConfirming fasting and choking risksLesson 2Diabetes management pre-op: glucose targets, perioperative insulin/oral hypoglycemics guidance, blood glucose testing timingExplains diabetes care around surgery, including pre-op sugar goals, timing and changes for insulin and tablets, preventing low sugar, check schedules, and working with surgery and hormone teams for tough cases in Gambia.
Pre-op sugar goals and reasonsAdjusting base and extra insulin plansHandling tablets and non-insulin medicinesSugar check times and how oftenSpotting and stopping low sugarLesson 3Documentation checklist: crucial items to record for handover and anesthesia record continuityLists key records for safe anaesthesia care, including starting checks, risk talks, consent checks, medicine and allergy lists, and handover notes for smooth care, tracking, and legal safety in Gambian hospitals.
Main parts of anaesthesia pre-op notesRecording health issues and risk scoresNoting medicines, allergies, and no-food statusStandard handover and transfer notesLegal and quality check pointsLesson 4Respiratory and cardiovascular exam: auscultation, signs of heart failure, blood pressure control, peripheral perfusionDescribes focused breathing and heart exams, including looking, listening, heart failure signs, blood pressure checks, fluid levels, and limb blood flow, linking to anaesthesia risks and improvements in Gambia.
Breathing look and listen checksSpotting wheezes, crackles, and blocksHeart listen and failure signsBlood pressure and fluid checksLimb blood flow and vessel statusLesson 5Identification of anesthesia-related risks: aspiration, difficult airway, hypoventilation, obstructive apnea, perioperative MI/stroke riskLooks at spotting anaesthesia risks like choking, hard airway, low breathing, sleep apnoea events, and heart or brain issues around surgery, using checks and tools to plan ways to reduce them in Gambian practice.
Checking choking and full-stomach risksPredicting hard mask and tube placementSleep apnoea, low breathing, and opioid effectsEstimating heart attack and stroke risks around surgeryPlanning ways to reduce risksLesson 6ASA physical status classification: criteria, examples, applying ASA class to this patient with obesity, HTN, diabetes, OSAReviews ASA body status grouping, rules for each group, common examples, and using it for patients with weight issues, high blood pressure, diabetes, and sleep apnoea, stressing steady use, limits, and risk talks in Gambia.
ASA groups I–VI and E additionClinical examples for each ASA groupUsing ASA for weight and sleep apnoeaLimits of ASA for risk guessingUsing ASA in talks and recordsLesson 7Patient communication and informed consent: explaining plan, fasting, CPAP use, postoperative expectationsFocuses on good patient talks, shared choices, and consent, including explaining anaesthesia plan, fasting, CPAP machine use, after-surgery pain control, and noting understanding and questions in Gambian settings.
Setting up pre-op anaesthesia talksExplaining fasting, medicines, and CPAP useDiscussing risks, gains, and other optionsSetting after-surgery hopes and recoveryChecking understanding and noting consentLesson 8Airway evaluation: Mallampati, thyromental distance, neck circumference, neck mobility, dentition, prior airway recordsCovers structured airway checks using Mallampati, chin-to-throat distance, neck size, neck movement, teeth, and past records, putting findings into hard airway plans and notes for safety around surgery in Gambia.
Mallampati and mouth-throat checksChin-to-throat distance and jaw pushNeck size and movement checksTeeth, false ones, and loose teethReviewing past airway and anaesthesia recordsLesson 9Selecting relevant preoperative investigations: labs, ECG, HbA1c, pregnancy test if indicated, CXR indicationsGuides picking pre-op tests based on patient risks and procedure, including blood work, heart traces, sugar history, pregnancy tests, and chest pictures, avoiding extra tests while keeping safety and rules in Gambia.
Rules for picking tests wiselyStarting blood and kidney function testsHeart trace and heart test needsSugar history and diabetes prep rolePregnancy tests and chest picture rules
