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About Study Course

Credit points / ECTS:3 / 4.5
Course supervisor:Indulis Vanags
Study type:Full time
Course level:Master's
Target audience:Medicine
Language:English, Latvian
Branch of science:Clinical Medicine; Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation

Objective

Promote knowledge acquisition of types and stages of anaesthesia, preoperative risk assessment of surgery and anaesthesia, principles of intensive therapy in the most common situations at internal medicine, neurology and surgical clinics, as well as learning basics of advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Provide knowledge of disaster medicine and organizational structure, material and technical provision, primary and secondary assessment of the casualty, basic principles of triage, manipulation and treatment, specific character of chemical catastrophes and their elimination, as well as knowledge of epidemiology of acute exogenous intoxications, toxicokinetics and specific nature of its of treatment, clinical course of certain types of poisoning, recommended treatment methods and inform about the most known contaminants.

Prerequisites

Knowledge gained in the courses studied in previous years is needed: types of surgery, topographical anatomy, clinical pharmacology, pathological physiology, clinical laboratory examinations, first aid during patient’s primary and secondary investigation on the site of accident, basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation and basic elements of shock.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge

Upon completion of the study course students will be able to name and describe different methods of anaesthesia and intensive care, recognize and describe shock (especially hypovolaemic, anaphylactic, septic), carry out advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation, will be able to name and describe changes in pathophysiological and biochemical processes as a result of surgical trauma, the devastating effects of pain syndrome on the organism and transmission of a nociceptive impulse to the CNS, describe types of pain syndrome blocks in reflector rim sections, basic principles of anaesthesia, its types, their advantages and side effects, specific character of preoperative examination of a surgical patient, evaluation of the physical condition of a surgical patient using ASA scale, as well as basic principles of preparing a surgical patient at the pre-operative stage and perioperative care, critical condition and basic intensive care. On completion of the study course students will have acquired basic knowledge of relief principles in disaster medicine, will be able to provide emergency assistance to the highest possible number of victims in the shortest possible time according to the principle of priority, as well as will have acquired basic knowledge of clinical toxicology – pathways of toxic substances into the body, toxicokinetic considerations, treatment options and characteristic features.
Will be able to describe the organisation of Civil Protection System in the country, the duties of state institutions in the civil protection system, to describe individual behaviour when hearing the alarm, to describe personal protective equipment in case of catastrophes and evacuation measures in case of disasters.

Skills

Students will be competent in cardio-electrical defibrillation, basic in-depth cardiopulmonary resuscitation; they will be able to ensure airway permeability with instrumental methods (airways, laryngeal mask, laryngeal tube, Combitube, endotracheal intubation, cricotireotomia), will be able to assess the condition of a comatose patient. Will be able to carry out triage of the victims at the scene and in hospitals, will be able to provide victims with vital functions and required emergency treatment according to the nature of the disaster and injury, will be able to use personal protective equipment; will be able to diagnose acute intoxication, assess their severity and extent of the required treatment based on the anamnesis, patient complaints, clinical symptoms and laboratory findings.

Competence

Students will be able to use the acquired knowledge and skills when performing advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation, analysing types and phases of general and regional anaesthesia, surgery and anaesthesia risks, analysing most common situations in intensive care; they will have competence to interpret clinical, biochemical, water-electrolyte tests as well as interpret the blood gas composition and acid-base balance parameters, coagulation indicators, refer them to specific clinical situations and link them with overall examination process, co-interpret clinical and laboratory kidney and liver failure symptoms, link them with overall condition and develop competent action plan, attribute central haemodynamic parameters to a specific clinical situation and link them to overall examination process, be able to develop immediate action plan and far-reaching action tactics for patients with complex and long-term health problems, and coordinate the actions with other members of healthcare system, to analyse the situation, demonstrate an individual approach to the patient, balance between applying general operational guidelines and a creative approach to each clinical case, to make argument-based, verifiable and scientifically-driven decisions about the health and life of a patient. Will acquire competence for the assessment of medical consequences and potential dangers of a disaster, on triage of victims and on the extent of emergency care at different stages of disaster relief with limited medical resources; the competence to take individual decisions, as appropriate, while working in a team and following general disaster management instructions; the competence on risk factors for acute exogenous intoxication, epidemiology, about the arguments of an acute toxicological patient, drawing up argument-based, immediate action plan for diagnosis, differential diagnosis and far-reached action tactics linking them to a specific clinical situation and demonstrating the individual attitude towards the patient.

Study course planning

Planning period:Year 2024, Autumn semester
Study programmeStudy semesterProgram levelStudy course categoryLecturersSchedule
Medicine, SSNMF9Master’sRequiredAgnese Ozoliņa, Rihards Pēteris Ročāns, Marina Šarkele, Sigita Kazūne, Oļegs Sabeļņikovs, Irina Evansa, Valdis Skotelis, Jurijs Bormotovs, Ole Broch, Jens Griepentrog, Māra Klibus, Mārtiņš Ansons
Medicine, MF9Master’sRequiredIndulis Vanags, Roberts Stašinskis, Māra Klibus, Marina Šarkele, Arta Bārzdiņa, Eva Strīķe, Mārtiņš Ansons
Planning period:Year 2025, Spring semester
Study programmeStudy semesterProgram levelStudy course categoryLecturersSchedule
Medicine, MF10Master’sRequired
Medicine, SSNMFz9Master’sRequired