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UCC Anaesthesiology Newsletter
Welcome to the Autumn Edition
Hello and welcome to the Autumn 2025 UCC Anaesthesiology Newsletter. We include academic and social updates from the region- and photos of some fun Halloween pumpkins.
We would like to welcome back the UCC medical students who have returned to lectures and placements over the last few weeks. We hope that your anaesthetic placement is an enjoyable one which allows you to get some hands-on experience and to appreciate the practical aspects of our speciality. Of interest, we include an article on opportunities for medical students interested in a career in Anaesthesiology.
A special mention goes to all of our NCHDs currently studying for the membership and fellowship exams. Keep up the great work- we’re all rooting for you!
We celebrated World Anaesthesia Day on October 16th. We include a link to an article written by Dr Patrick Seigne (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH) and published by The Irish Times to mark the day.
Dr Alan Horan (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH) is the new regional lead for the Association of Anaesthetists, who kindly provided complementary tote bags, pens and lanyards to the Department of Anaesthesia, CUH- beautifully modelled by Dr Ciaran Sheehan, Dr Dylan Gouveia (above) and Dr Qurratulain Saquib (below).
As always, we welcome departmental, academic and social updates from within and outside of the region.
Echo-Guided Life Support Course (EGLS):
EGLS is a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) course designed to give candidates the knowledge and skills required to diagnose shock and to direct appropriate treatment. EGLS courses were held at the ASSERT Centre, UCC on September 11th and 12th under the directorship of Dr Abdul Safras, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Trauma Medicine, CUH (on right of top photo). Anaesthesiologists were well represented on the Faculty and amongst the attendees.
CAI Airway Masterclass:
On the 3rd of October, a CAI Airway Master class was held at the CUMH. Faculty included Dr Elise Alexander (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, MUH), Dr Andrew Maxwell (Advanced Airway Fellow, SIVUH- on left, top photo), Dr Padraig Mahon (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH) and Dr Ahmed Mohi Mohammed (Airway Trainee Lead, SAT 2, CUH)- both photographed below. The course included lectures and hands-on workshops in airway management, including fibreoptic intubation and front-of-neck access.
PRactical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training:
On the 7th October, another successful PROMPT course was held at the Centre of Midwifery Education, CUMH. This is a multi-disciplinary team obstetric emergencies training which has been shown to improve outcomes for mothers and babies. The faculty for the Maternal Collapse and Anaesthetic Emergencies Workshop included Dr Aisling McCann (SpR), Dr Matthew Brohan (SHO) and Dr Oonagh Hickey (Consultant Anaesthesiologist).
CUMH In Situ Adult REsuscitation Simulation Team Training:
On the 23rd September, the CUMH Theatre and Delivery Suite teams ran an Adult Resuscitation Team Training Simulation in one of the obstetric operating theatres. The technical and non-technical skills required to respond to a cardiac arrest were practised and many useful learning points were identified.
Level 1 Foundations of Echo Course:
On the 7th November, a Level 1 Foundations of Echo Course was run at the Centre of Midwifery Education, CUMH. It was held in association with the ICSI Winter Weekend (Fota Island) organised by Dr Michelle O’Mahony (Consultant Anaesthesiologist/ICU Clinical Lead, MUH).
The faculty (above) included Dr Ahmed Elsaka (Consultant Anaesthesiologist/ICM, CUH), Dr Patrick Breen (Consultant Cardiac Anaesthesiologist, Blackrock Clinic), Dr Paudie Delaney (Consultant Anaesthesiologist/ICM, CUH), Dr Don Walsh (Consultant Cardiac Anaesthesiologist, CUH), Dr Jonathan Roddy (Consultant Anaesthesiologist/ICM, UHL), Dr Avinash Redharkishna (Cardiology SpR, St James Hospital, Dublin), Ms Fiona Barton (Critical Care Training), Dr Joanne Fish (SpR Anaesthesiology, SVUH, Dublin), Dr Catherine Nix (Course Clinical Administrator and Consultant Anaesthesiologist/ICM, UHL) and Ms Irene Flynn (Chief Cardiac Physiologist, Bons Secours, Limerick).
The faculty wish to thank Ms Mary O’Connor (Director, Centre of Midwifery Education) for her assistance in facilitating the course.
Basic cardiac echo is now a core skill for many postgraduate trainees who treat acutely unwell patients. This course provided an opportunity to learn hands-on ultrasound image acquisition skills and also had an image interpretation section approved by the BSE (British Society of Echocardiography).
The Intensive Care Society of Ireland (ICSI) Autumn Meeting:
We congratulate Dr Michelle O’Mahony (organiser and Consultant Anaesthesiologist/ICU Clinical Lead, MUH), Mr Eoin Lumsden (ICSI Admin) and Ms Claire O’Keeffe (Registration) on holding an excellent ICSI meeting at the Fota Island Resort, Cork on the 8th of November. Attendees included healthcare professionals from around the country. Sessions included “Infection and Critical Illness”, “Hot Topics in Critical Care” and “Humanising Critical Care”. The Keynote lecture on “What the ICU clinician needs to know about AI” was thought provoking. Parallel workshops on point of care heart and lung ultrasound were also held.
Speakers from the region included Dr Brian O’Brien (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH) who delivered an informative lecture on organ transplantation.
Dr Ciaran Sheehan (SAT 2, CUH) and Dr Kirsten Joyce (ICU Fellow, CUH) were amongst those delivering case presentations for the Kate Flynn Competition.
Dr Roisin Devane (SHO, CUH) presented a poster outlining some recruitment challenges for clinical trials in the ICU setting.
Dr Mark McCarthy, Dr Aisha Ghori and Dr Natasha Singhal (interns) also presented posters (photographed below with Mr Caomhán Bhudhlaeir, DEM 5, UCC).
A Minute’s Silence for Healthcare Workers in Gaza:
On the 23rd September, many HSE healthcare workers held a minute’s silence in solidarity with healthcare workers who have been killed in Gaza as well as those continuing to deliver healthcare in very challenging circumstances. Pictured are healthcare staff outside the CUMH.
CUH Charity Gala Ball:
The annual CUH Charity Gala Ball was held at Vienna Woods Hotel. There was a big turnout from the Cardiothoracic Surgical Department, celebrating 40 years of delivering a cardiothoracic service to the region. The CUH Charity Exceptional Service Award was presented to Mr Tom Aherne who was the first Cardiothoracic Surgeon to be appointed to the Cork service. Anaesthesiologists (current and retired) from the CUH and the Bons Secours were well represented, including Dr Annlin Bejoy Philip (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH- right in top photo).
Pan-Cork Anaesthesiology Go Karting Competition
Dr Andrew Maxwell (Advanced Airway Fellow, SIVUH) organised the first Pan-Cork Anaesthesiology Go Karting outing in October. After a very competitive race, the first place was awarded to Dr Andrew Purcell (Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Pain Medicine Specialist, SIVUH), second place to Dr Lance McGrath (SAT 3, SIVUH) and third place to Dr Cormac Mullins (Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Pain Medicine Specialist, CUH and SIVUH).
Félicitations Géraldine!
We congratulate Dr Géraldine Armissoglio (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH) on completing the “Run in Lyon” marathon on October 5th.
Baby news:
We congratulate Dr Fionn O’Laoire (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH), Eimear Murphy and Imogen (Big Sister) on the safe arrival of baby Oscar.
We also congratulate Dr Michael O’Sullivan (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, CUH), Rachel Bryan and Jack (Big Brother) on the safe arrival of baby Max.
Halloween pumpkins:
Our annual request for photos of halloween pumpkins gave our readers an opportunity to showcase their more creative sides. The cutest “pumpkin” has to be Cillian who is nearly 2 years old.
Anaesthesia in the Cork Region - Opportunities for Medical Students:
Earlier this year, the Association of Anaesthetists’ Wylie Undergraduate Essay Prize attracted submissions from medical students across the UK and Ireland. The competition commemorates Dr W. Derek Wylie, who served as President of the Association from 1980 to 1982.
We’re delighted to share that Dr Mark McCarthy (Intern, MUH) received an award for his final-year essay “Is Human Factors just common sense dressed up as science?”. In the summary below, Mark gives us a flavour of his work and shows how human factors (far from being “just common sense”) are helping to shape safer anaesthetic practice. Hopefully, his success will inspire other students to put pen to paper, get involved in projects, and see where anaesthesia might take them.
Is Human Factors just common sense dressed up as science?
“Anaesthesia has become one of the safest areas of medicine, with mortality rates dropping from 6.4 per 10,000 procedures in the 1950s to just 0.04 since 2000. While technology has contributed, the greatest impact has come from people – the expertise, decisions, and teamwork of anaesthetists. This is the essence of Human Factors Science. Once seen as “common sense,” it is now a discipline backed by strong evidence. It studies how humans behave under pressure and designs systems to reduce errors, improve communication, and enhance performance.
In anaesthesia, human factors science has shaped some of our most effective safety tools: the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, the ISBAR handover framework, and the Difficult Airway Society’s algorithms which specifically aim at preventing task fixation and cognitive overload to maintain situational awareness in high-stakes scenarios. In the context of transitions of care – particularly handovers between anaesthesiologists or from the operating room to the intensive care unit – human factors science can contribute significantly to reducing errors. Communication during transitions is a particularly high-risk moment, with studies showing that miscommunications are responsible for roughly 50% of treatment errors. The introduction of standardised handover tools, like an Anaesthetic ICU Handover Checklist, have been shown to reduce this risk by ensuring that critical patient information is clearly and consistently communicated in all handovers. These structured approaches improve teamwork, reduce miscommunication, and support decision-making in high-pressure moments.
Human factors are therefore far more than “common sense.” They are a science-driven framework for recognising human limitations and creating solutions that keep patients safe. As anaesthesia continues to evolve, incorporating these principles into daily practice will ensure that safety remains not just an achievement, but an ongoing commitment.”
Alongside essay prizes, UCC medical students can also dive into anaesthesia-related research, audit, and quality improvement projects in Cork Hospitals. During his summer anaesthesia elective last year, Mark kicked off several projects in the CUH – the kind that led to posters at both national and international conferences (yes, including trips to London for the AAGBI Winter Scientific Meeting and even Lisbon for the Euroanaesthesia Congress 2025!). His work even made it into the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care ESAIC abstract book, proving that research can take you further than you might think – sometimes all the way to sunny Portugal! Mark presented research at the CAI Annual Congress 2025 following his final medicine exams, and more recently at the Irish Pain Society Conference in Galway, where his Mercy University Hospital projects earned him 2nd place in the Dr Henry Raftery Competition for Best Audit Presentation - “A Review of Paracetamol Dosing at Mercy University Hospital.” Beyond the travel perks, these projects are a fantastic way for students to sharpen research skills and get an early taste of anaesthesia as a career!
Photo: Dr Mark McCarthy next to his poster at this year’s Intensive Care Society of Ireland (ICSI) Conference, “The Gift That Couldn’t Be Given: Lessons from an Uncompleted Organ Retrieval”, which he conducted with Dr Owen O’Sullivan (Consultant Anaesthetist, MUH).
These experiences highlight Cork’s active culture of involving students in anaesthesia-related projects. For anyone curious about the specialty, getting involved in research, audits, or even essay competitions is a rewarding way to explore anaesthesia while contributing to patient safety and innovation.
Mark hopes to pursue a career in Anaesthesia, and we wish him every success in this endeavour.
Mark’s abstract publications in Anaesthesia:
- Evaluating compliance with the ESRA PROSPECT median sternotomy guidelines: an audit of practice in a tertiary teaching hospital (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.16478)
- Comparing adherence to PROSPECT Guidelines in Median Sternotomy (MS), Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) & Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) (European Journal of Anaesthesiology (EJA) Volume 42, e-Supplement 63, https://esaic.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ESAIC2025_Abstracts-1.pdf)
- Mark's IPS presentations will be published on the European Pain Federation (EFIC) website next month.
Editors:
Dr Roisin Devane, Anaesthesiology SHO, CUH
Dr Mark McCarthy, Medical Intern, MUH
Dr Oonagh Hickey, Dr Alan Horan, Consultant Anaesthesiologists, CUH