Putting patients to sleep is not the only thing anaesthetists do, says GP anaesthetist registrar at Dubbo Hospital Dr Bill Louys.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He helped man a display table in the foyer of the hospital on Wednesday where staff, patients and the public could learn about apparatus employed by anaesthetists to open and keep open airways, and how they manage patients using the "descendents of ether".
READ ALSO: Closing the Gap consultations in Dubbo, Bourke, Cobar and Condo
The event was part of National Anaesthesia Day which marks the first demonstration of ether anaesthetic in Boston in 1846.
"Most people just remember the little needle and going off to sleep," Dr Louys said.
"They don't realise everything else that needs to happen for the patient to stay asleep."
The registrar said other duties of anaesthetists included "spinals, epidurals, regional blocks" and postoperative pain management.
Dr Louys said a GP like himself came to Dubbo Hospital each year for training in anaesthesia, with a mind to working in "smaller communities".
"Good airway skills are always necessary," he said. "It's an unappreciated skill."
READ ALSO: Dubbo motorists share their driver safety tips, concerns