Regular Office Hours –

It’s a typical day for me as an anaesthetist by profession. Glancing at the clock, which reads eleven, and then at the long list of elective surgeries, I calmly jot down the tasks awaiting me after my regular morning schedule in the OT.

Suddenly, I’m caught in the hustle of running OT slippers approaching me from a distance outside. It must be an emergency, I think to myself. Indeed, it’s a group of purple-clad obstetricians rolling in a stretcher with a woman in her 30s wincing and crying in pain. They are surrounded by another group of green-colored ward workers. The chaos jolts me awake, and I’m on my toes, observant yet not detached.

Curious junior anaesthetists in blue rush to them to gather firsthand information about the case that has just arrived. It’s a pregnant woman suffering from severe hypertension, causing her to bleed from multiple areas. In medical jargon, we label these cases as HELLP syndrome—a term standing for low platelets or, as some call it, ‘white blood.’ A normal count is above one and half lakh, but in her case, it’s less than 40,000.

In situations like these, the anaesthetist plays the ‘center forward.’ With an ever composed demeanor, I announce my arrival. The question on everyone’s lips, including the obstetricians and my juniors, is whether to opt for ‘Spinal anesthesia’ or ‘General anesthesia.’ It’s a tricky decision. If spinal anesthesia is chosen, there’s a risk of the mother losing her legs power due to bleeding in the spine. If general anesthesia is chosen, there’s a risk of fatal complications for both the mother and the baby.

What should be chosen? What will happen? Will the baby survive? Many questions linger, but the most crucial one is, who will make the decision?

My Time to Shine! –

Basking in the undivided attention of the mostly feminine crowd of juniors and obstetricians, I instruct my juniors to prepare the trolley for ‘general anesthesia’. Taking center stage, I load the white-colored anesthetic, pacing back and forth, aiming to be the HERO to save the day. I always believed that anesthetists should have their “rights”; should hold their fort and be heard to; we often hear about our “duties,” but our importance in the operating room is often overlooked. Thoughts of being the “head of this sinking ship” brought me pride, a smile, and a hint of ego. Alas! It was all to be short-lived.

Hosh Posh –

A horde of doctors suddenly rushes toward the ‘foot’ end of the table, leaving me and a group of newbie anaesthetists bewildered. What had just happened, we wonder? Was there a calamity? Uncontrollable bleeding? An unfathomable demise of the child? Why was there a tectonic shift in the audience from the ‘head’ end of the table to the ‘foot’ end of table?

Mother’s Day Out –

This is not a common situation yet it bought a giggle amongst all of us. Why, in the heavens, did the obstetrician shift the patient to the OT when at last what she did was just another normal labor, which could have been done in the labour room?

It dawned on me that day that the obstetrician are at many a times caught at crosswords. She was also caught in a dilemma deciding on what to do. “Quicker’ C-section or the long and enduring, taxing ‘labour’ evermore for a risky case. Finally it all boils down to her about ensuring a safe mother and a safe child.

Final word–

An obstetrician’s office is often chaotic due to the myriad challenges they face. The emotional quotient of family she addresses and cares for rises especially when it involves a mother and a child . Understandably, my regular visits as an anesthetist into the obstetrician’s den have always been precarious and tricky!