Surgery and anaesthesia

In close teamwork and on an equal footing with our doctors, the surgical technical assistant (STA) ensures that operations are prepared and carried out professionally and safely, even in the case of highly complex procedures.

The anaesthesia assistant takes care of patients of all age groups before and after operations at the highest level. The daily work includes the care of many interesting clinical pictures and emergencies. Safe anaesthesia is particularly important for complex heart surgery. This requires close cooperation between all teams involved, as well as extensive expertise, a great deal of experience and a high level of specialisation on the part of the anaesthesia team.

We work in a three-shift system supplemented by on-call services for acute emergency care. In addition to managing the surgical services, there are also two deputies and a main practice instructor with a team of practice instructors and mentors.

A typical working day begins with the daily early morning meeting of all surgical function services. These include health and nursing professionals with and without surgical specialist training, OTAs, MFAs and also health and paediatric nursing professionals. In each operating theatre, there is a sterile, instrumenting surgical function service and a non-sterile

Of course, there are also other professional groups in the operating theatre with whom the surgical function service works closely. In addition to the surgical medical service, we also work with the anaesthesia medical service, the anaesthesia function service, the storage nurses and other service staff.

After the morning briefing, all the materials needed for the operation are collected by the two surgical function services for their theatre and then prepared in a sterile manner for the operation.

To do this, colleagues on the functional service team must know and adhere to the exact surgical procedures as well as all other processes in the operating theatre. This is the only way we can maintain the very high quality of our work here. Although we work in a total of 11 operating theatres, we have not lost our sense of family and team spirit. We work as a team at our location on the Campus Virchow Klinikum and three days a week we also operate in an operating theatre at the Paulinenkrankenhaus. We will move into our new building in about five years.

In the anaesthesia department, we play a key role in perioperative patient care. Our responsibilities range from carefully preparing anaesthesia materials and medications to conscientiously checking the equipment needed for each operation.
The day begins with a warm welcome for our patients in the preparation room, a crucial moment to build trust and address any fears in a reassuring way. At the same time, we monitor clinical parameters such as blood pressure, pulse and ECG.
During induction of anaesthesia, we assist the anaesthetist with the administration of medication and support the insertion of all necessary catheters and examinations. Particularly in the case of patients with heart disease, continuous monitoring of vital parameters requires the utmost attention and care.

In the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit), we provide comprehensive care for patients after surgery, from awake patients to intensive care cases.
In cardiac medicine, we care for patients of all ages and degrees of severity, from premature infants with congenital heart defects to older people with cardiological problems. Our rapid assessment of situations and ability to respond are essential for effective interdisciplinary collaboration. With our expertise in handling various devices and medications, we are an indispensable part of patient care.
Our workplaces are diverse and exciting. They include eight cardiac surgery operating theatres, three hybrid theatres for combined procedures, and one operating theatre at the Paulinenkrankenhaus. Our locations also include the cardiac catheterisation laboratories.