Perioperative Cardiovascular
Research Group
Advancing surgical outcomes and quality of life
Hello
Hardened by the icy winters of Bloemfontein, I graduated from UFS in 2014. I however left normothermic in body and spirit due to the warmth and friendliness of the people encountered there. Commuting to and from Kalafong Hospital beneath the deep purple Jacaranda canopies of Pretoria, I completed my internship years in 2016. The very first rotation in Anaesthesia essentially spoiled every other as my mind was made up to pursue it as a career in the future.
Community service at Potchefstroom Hospital afforded me the opportunity to complete my Diploma in Emergency Medicine and Anaesthesia during the course of 2017. I remained as Medical Officer, gaining 15 months Anaesthesia experience. Before committing to the Registrar programme, I decided to embark on what I thought to be a “responsible adventure”, maritime medicine. Anchored off the coast of Florida, I conducted my telephonic interviews for a Registrar post with less than ideal cell phone reception.
I managed to secure a medical officer post at Groote Schuur Hospital and after 2 years, finally started as a UCT Anaesthesia registrar in 2022. The ICU rotation was when it became apparent that caring for a patient during their surgical procedure is only the tip of the iceberg affecting their long-term outcome. It highlighted the sequelae of the perioperative insult and how appropriate management thereof could have a tangible impact, good or bad.
I was very fortunate to have Dr Alphonsus agree to be my MMed supervisor. The main focus is perioperative outcomes for Vascular Surgery patients. While doing the literature review, I slowly realised how short sighted it was to label my anaesthesia a “success” by merely keeping the patient alive during their surgical intervention. We subsequently set up a database in partnership with the Vascular Surgery department at GSH, collecting data from all patients receiving elective Vascular surgery. This data captured will hopefully one day be able to guide perioperative decision making, thus optimising resource management and improving patient outcomes.
Elmar Kruger
MBChB (UFS)
Dip PEC, DA (CMSA)
