POM5002 - Acute perioperative medicine - 2017

The focus of this unit is for the participant to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills in managing the trauma patient in the acute setting, as well as the chronic patient with an acute exacerbation of their disease. It will focus on strategies to improve the outcome for these patients. Participants will gain practical knowledge of ventilation strategies and circulatory support strategies.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Diagnose and treat patients with a range of chronic medical diseases, with a focus on the perioperative period.
2. Explain various ventilation strategies that assist in improving respiratory outcomes in the acute trauma patient, as well as the patient with chronic lung disease.
3. Justify the rationale for using various fluids (including blood products) to maintain circulatory and nutritional support.
4. Explain the pathophysiological processes that occur in a patient in the setting of acute trauma.
5. Correlate the pathophysiological mechanisms in acute trauma with the patient's clinical signs and symptoms.
6. Formulate a perioperative management plan for patients with complex respiratory conditions
7. Critically review issues relating to retrieval of the acutely ill patient.
8. With appropriate collaboration formulate a defensible/appropriate management plan for an acutely unwell perioperative patient.

• 1 Essay (3,000 words) 26%
• 1 MCQ exam (1 hour) 10%
• 4 x Short clinical reflections (1,000 words each) 12% each (48% total) (hurdle)
• 2 X Group Case Discussions (2,500 words per group) 8% each (16% total)

20-24 hours per week of time commitment (on average).

See also Unit timetable information

Professor Paul Myles

Medicine and surgery

Perioperative medicine