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UCC Anaesthesiology newsletter

Welcome to the Spring Edition

Welcome to the Spring edition of the UCC Anaesthesia Newsletter. We hope that our colleagues who were observing had a very happy Eid Mubarak and had an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. We also wish all those who are preparing for exams the very best of luck.

In this edition we outline some of the teaching and team training programs that are ongoing in the region. We have recommendations for summer reading and also how to escape Cork City with a student TFI card.

On the fortieth anniversary of the tragic Air India Flight 182, we outline the role that the people of Cork played when a jumbo jet carrying 329 people was lost off the Cork coast as a result of a bomb explosion.

As always, we welcome departmental/academic/social submissions from the region and beyond.

yesuccanews@gmail.com

College of Anaesthesiologists in Ireland Simulation Program, ASSERT Centre, UCC:

The CAI Simulation Program is designed to provide anaesthetic trainees with an opportunity to develop clinical and non-technical skills required to manage critical events. COAST (Crisis in Obstetric Anaesthesia) courses were held on the 15th of January (first photo) and the 3rd of April (second photo). A SICC (Simulation in Intensive and Critical Care) course was held on March 7th. An AE (Anaesthetic Emergencies) course is scheduled for June.

Course leads Dr Niamh Feely (SICC), Dr Owen O’Sullivan (AE), Dr Murray Connolly and Dr Oonagh Hickey (COAST) would like to thank the participants for their enthusiasm in engaging with these courses. They wish to thank Mr Alan Thompson (Simulation Manager, CAI), Mr David Power (Manager for Simulation Training and Technology, ASSERT, UCC) and Ms Catherine Kearney (RN, faculty). The leads would in particular like to thank the faculty who continue to be so generous with their time and expertise and without whom these courses could not be delivered.

If interested in joining the CAI Simulation Program faculty at the ASSERT Centre, please contact Dr Oonagh Hickey at yesuccanews@gmail.com.

PRactical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training (PROMPT):

Another successful PROMPT course was held on March 11th at the Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH). This program involves team training for the management of obstetric emergencies and it has been shown to improve outcomes for mothers and babies. Candidates included midwives, obstetricians and anaesthetists. The faculty for the “Maternal Collapse and Anaesthetic Emergencies” workshop were Ms Mary Prince (CNM2, Clinical Skills Facilitator), Dr Atilla Bondar and Dr Oonagh Hickey (Consultant Anaesthetists).

PROMPT Maternity Foundation

PROMPT and Pre-hospital PROMPT Train the Trainers Course:

On the 28th of March, a Train the Trainers course for both PROMPT and Pre-hospital PROMPT was held in the CUMH. PROMPT faculty attendees included Midwives, Obstetricians and Anaesthetists. Pre-hospital PROMPT faculty attendees included Paramedics, Advanced Paramedics and National Ambulance Service National Training Officers- some of whom had travelled from as far away as Donegal.

Our colleagues from the National Ambulance Service were particularly welcome and they brought with them clinical and teaching insights that added immeasurably to the day.

CUMH In Situ Adult Resuscitation Simulation Team Training:

On 18th March, the CUMH Theatre and Delivery Suite team ran an Adult Resuscitation Team Training Simulation. The technical and non-technical skills required to respond to a cardiac arrest in the operating theatre were practised and many useful learning points were identified during the debrief.

Publications:

Leonard A, McAuliffe N, Baker A, Corbett J, O’Brien BPeri-operative neuromuscular blockade monitoring: a comparison between tertiary centres and with existing guidelines. Ir Med J 2024;117:P947.
O’Connell JG, Condon-English FJ, O’Brien BP. JG Farrell and The Lung: an early description of intensive care delirium in literature. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 2023;52(1S):21-25.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mMBxVWQtPPYVWqEHpUwDZ2B770CR96Uk/view?usp=drive_link

The Coffee and a Gas Program:

Members of the CUH Department of Anaesthesia gathered for pizza on the 17th of April. The Coffee and a Gas Program is a wellness initiative endorsed by the Association of Anaesthetists and the College of Anaesthesiologists in Ireland. It provides an opportunity for members of anaesthetic departments to meet in an informal environment. The pizza was funded by the CAI Tutors Fund.

The CUH Department of Anaesthesia welcomes two new Consultant Anaesthetists:

Dr Don Walsh MB BcH BAO MSc MD FCAI

I hail from Kerry and despite the brilliance of its diaspora, little can compare to the warmth and vibrancy of the people of Cork. I studied at UCC, trained in anaesthesia throughout Ireland and pursued fellowships in Dublin and Australia. Thankfully Cork has hit somewhat of a stride when it comes to all things food and coffee which made relocating from Melbourne a lot easier.

Fueled by the magic of Beamish, great music can also be found here and I’m proud to profess “have accordion, will travel”.

I look forward to working with the fantastic group of people that is our anaesthetic department.

Editors note: the editor is reminded of a definition of a gentleman- one who can play the accordion but doesn’t. The editor is open to being corrected on this.

Dr John O’Connell MB BCh BAO FCAI FJFICMI EDIC MScHCM

Photo: John (with glasses) and Stella.

As a Cork person, John knew that returning to the CUH anaesthesia department was inevitable. He only hopes that people have forgotten some of his previous many visits.

John's distinctions include winning first prize in the Macroom St. Patrick’s Day Poetry Competition in 1999 and the ability to consume 12 Weetabix in 8 minutes.

Beyond these accomplishments, he enjoys intensive care medicine, pediatric anaesthesia, and being twice a Girl Dad.

During an international fellowship, John mastered the skill of wearing a baseball cap in public - a confidence he expects to be shattered in Cork, where such notions rarely survive.

In the photo, John is reading “The Lung” by JG Farrell, lent to him by Dr Brian O’Brien (departmental bibliophile- see World Book Day), on which they collaborated to write an article for Anesthesia and Intensive Care (see Publications).

Stella confesses to a preference for more lowbrow literature such as movie novelisations.

World Book Day:

World Book Day is a charity event held annually in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the first Thursday in March. On World Book Day, every child in full-time education in the UK and Ireland is provided with a voucher to be spent on books (as those of you who are parents will know!). As our professional and personal lives are now consumed by electronic screens, perhaps this event may serve as a reminder of the joy of picking up and opening a book while sitting in the spring sun. We asked Dr Brian O’Brien (Consultant Anaesthestist, CUH) for his top 5 book recommendations for doctors. Not all are ideal summer reads, though several find humour in unlikely situations.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy (a very short read).
The Citadel by AJ Cronin.
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Young Doctors Handbook by Bulgakov.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan.

How to Escape Cork City… with a TFI Student Card

Dr Vinnie Wall, Consultant Anaesthetist, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital

Cycling has always been my go-to, but few things beat the relaxation of a train ride. With your College of Anaesthesiologists in Ireland student card, you’re eligible for decent discounts on Irish Rail and everyday Transport for Ireland (TFI) services. Apply for your Student Leap Card at leapcard.ie and save on train and bus fares—an easy, affordable way to get from A to B. On a train, time is your own—perfect for catching up on a good book….

BorrowBox & the Library: Your Free Ticket to Books

The Irish public library service is one of our best-kept secrets: free membership, nationwide returns, and access to both physical and digital books. You can sign up online or in person (just bring proof of your name and address).

Cork City Libraries has public libraries in ten locations across the city. For those at the CUH, Bishopstown Library is just across the road. If you’re closer to the SIVUH or the Mercy, check out Cork City Library on Grand Parade.

I’ve been using the BorrowBox app for years—it gives you access to free audiobooks and eBooks with your library card. It’s especially handy on post-call days when reading feels like too much. Just press play and relax.

You can also borrow up to five physical books at a time. A recent standout for me was Less by Patrick Grant, a deep dive into the fast fashion industry and manufacturing industry—and unexpectedly relevant to healthcare. Register for the library at corkcitylibraries.ie.

The “Three Johnnies” fundraising initiative:

Mr John Collins (Portering Department) is photographed presenting Sony noise reduction headphones to Ms Noreen O’Gorman (CNM3, Orthopaedic Theatres, CUH).These are for use by patients who are undergoing surgery under regional (local) anaesthesia. Also pictured is Dr Murray Connoll, Consultant Anaesthetist.

“The three Johnnies” are John Collins, John Lenihan and John Keenan, members of the CUH Portering Department. They collect empty bottles and cans on the CUH/CUMH campus and redeem them in their own time to raise much needed funds for initiatives in the CUH complex.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-

Air India Flight 182:

The Cork region has been the focal point for a number of mass casualty incidents over the years. Five people were killed and over 20 were injured when a bus and a lorry collided at Glounthaune in 1978; fifty one people lost their lives following an explosion on board the Betelgeuse oil tanker at Whiddy Oil Refinery in Bantry in January 1979; twenty one were lost when the Fastnet sailing race was hit by a force 11 gale in August 1979; the Buttevant Train Disaster resulted in 18 deaths and more than 70 injured in 1980; and Manx2 Flight 7100 crashed in fog at Cork Airport in 2011 leaving 6 dead and 6 injured.

However the greatest loss of life occurred on Sunday 23rd June 1985 when a bomb placed on Air India Montreal- London Flight 182 by a Sikh terrorist group exploded 190 Km off the coast of Cork resulting in the deaths of all 329 on board, including over 80 children. Most of the passengers were en route to visit family in India. Of note, on the same day a similar device exploded at Narita International Airport, Japan, killing two baggage handlers.

When Air India Flight 182 vanished from radar, a major multi-agency search and recovery operation was immediately put in place- involving Air Traffic Services, the Air Corps, The Naval Services, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, the United States Air Force, and the RNLI lifeboats from Valentia, Baltimore, Ballycotton and Courtmacsherry. Some navy personnel entered the sea to assist with the retrieval of the remains of passengers, braving the sharks that were gathering.

Over 100 staff voluntarily presented to the CUH (then the Cork Regional Hospital) that morning to assist. The physiotherapy gymnasium was converted into a morgue and seven teams of pathologists worked with Garda technical staff to facilitate the identification and forensic examination of each casualty. CUH staff worked after hours to ensure that this process was done as efficiently as possible.

The CUH became a focal point for the international press and for the bewildered relatives who began to arrive from as far away as Canada and India. Accommodation was provided locally for the relatives and taxi drivers provided a free service for them. Many relatives wished to be taken to Ahakista, the nearest land point from the crash site. Six weeks after the bombing a religious service was held at the CUH, attended by representatives of the Irish, Indian and Canadian governments, as well as representatives of ten religious faiths. A fuller outline of the aftermath is found in the last link below.

The CUH has continued to play a part for anniversaries of the disaster over the years. On these occasions, many relatives also made a pilgrimage to the memorial garden at Ahakista. The sundial sculpture was donated by the people of Ireland, India and Canada.

The kindness shown by the people of Cork to the relatives was very much appreciated. On display on the main concourse of the CUH is a magnificent wooden plaque with inlaid elephants, with the inscription “With deep appreciation from the people of India for the summer of 1985”. Next to it is a book including photographs and biographies of all the victims of the disaster, many of whom were very young. The pages are turned regularly. To the other side there is a plaque inscribed “Presented to the Cork University Hospital on behalf of the Government of Canada in appreciation of the kindness and compassion shown to the families of the victims of the tragic bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985”. It also includes the quote:

“Let the dead have the immortality of fame, but the living the immortality of love”.

May they rest in peace.

Aatma ko Shanthi miley.

Qu’ils reposent en paix.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.