National Anaesthesia Day

National Anaesthesia Day

Wednesday October 16

Most people will need the care of an anaesthetist at some stage in their lives – for pain relief during the birth of a baby, for a routine day-stay procedure or for a major operation. Many of today’s operations, especially for the very young, very old or very ill would not be possible without modern anaesthesia. National Anaesthesia Day celebrates one of the greatest discoveries of modern medicine.

Yet 50 per cent of people don’t realise their anaesthetist is a highly trained specialists just like their surgeon, according to a community survey conducted for the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

So on Wednesday October 16, the anniversary of the day in 1846 that ether anaesthetic was first demonstrated in Boston, Massachusetts, ANZCA is launching National Anaesthesia Day with the results of the community attitudes to anaesthetists survey and information to clear up some widespread, and surprising, misconceptions about the very important role of the modern anaesthetist.

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