The Section of Anaesthesia, within the Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch), conducts experimental, observational and qualitative research, and quality improvement (QI) projects across a range of areas and subspecialties within anaesthesia.
These areas include: general and regional anaesthesia, peri-operative medicine, obstetric anaesthesia, pain, anaphylaxis, sustainability, medical education and staff wellbeing.
The Department also has a strong track record of participation in national and international multicentre clinical anaesthesia trials.
Key research themes
Our research include the following themes and projects.
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of anaesthetic practice, most commonly caused by neuromuscular blocking agents, antibiotics and chlorhexidine.
Canterbury has a high rate of NMBA anaphylaxis due to the overuse of Pholcodine cough suppressants in our population. The Anaesthetic Allergy Team have been instrumental in getting Pholcodine withdrawn from the New Zealand market, with the expectation that this will reduce our anaphylaxis rates. They undertake anaphylaxis education for nurses, house surgeons, registrars and consultants – mainly focussing on our management guidelines.
Peri-operative hypersensitivity reactions to neuromuscular blocking drugs
Primary contact:
Dr Kim Phillips
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email kim.phillips2@cdhb.health.nz
ANZCA CTN research
The ANZCA Clinical Trials Network delivers large, influential, international multicentre trials to definitively answer debated clinical questions within the anaesthesia and pain medicine community.
Current studies include:
- Balanced-2 pilot
- Depth of anaesthesia and delirium
- PROMPT-O2
- Oxygen therapy and surgical site infection
- MARS
- Multicentre Aspiration Risk Study investigating impact of “sip to send” vs traditional fasting policies on rates of pulmonary aspiration
- Masterstroke
- Management of blood pressure during anaesthesia for thrombectomy for stroke patients
Primary contacts:
Dr Tim Smith
Anaesthesia Section, Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Dr Alec Beresford
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email alec.beresford3@cdhb.health.nz
Medical education
Transformative learning and education for sustainable healthcare (ESH)
- There is increasing demand for the integration of sustainable healthcare and planetary health education into undergraduate and postgraduate medical curricula
- This mixed methods research explores the design of ESH through the lenses of transformative learning, environmental value position and curriculum co-design
Primary contact:
Dr Tim Smith
Anaesthesia Section, Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Obstetric anaesthesia
Ethnicity and provision of obstetric services
Primary contacts:
Dr Adele Macgregor
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email adele.macgregor2@cdhb.health.nz
Dr Andrew McCombie
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Pain
Effect of perioperative sleep on pain and rehabilitation outcomes
- Randomised controlled pilot study on patients undergoing knee arthroplasty
Primary contact:
Dr Julia Singhal
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Email julia.singhal@otago.ac.nz
Peri-operative medicine
Elective joint arthroplasty and Duke Activity Status Index (DASI)
Primary contact:
Dr John Shepherd
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email john.shepherd@cdhb.health.nz
Comparison of operative and non-operative outcomes in patients attending the high-risk anaesthetic assessment clinic
Primary contact:
Dr Pippa Jerram
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email philippa.jerram@cdhb.health.nz
Quality improvement/audit
Perioperative anaemia and major gynaecological surgery
Primary contact:
Dr Richard Seigne
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Email richard.seigne@otago.ac.nz
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea pathways
Primary contact:
Dr Pippa Jerram
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email philippa.jerram@cdhb.health.nz
Outplaced surgery
Primary contact:
Dr Pippa Jerram
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email philippa.jerram@cdhb.health.nz
Statins in vascular surgery and ACC/AHA recommendations
Primary contact:
Dr Pippa Jerram
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email philippa.jerram@cdhb.health.nz
Vascular planned care
Primary contact:
Dr Pippa Jerram
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email philippa.jerram@cdhb.health.nz
Awake fibreoptic intubation and compliance with Difficult Airway Society guidelines
Primary contact:
Dr Antonia Yarnton
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email antonia.yarnton2@cdhb.health.nz
Sustainable healthcare
Nitrous oxide leak study
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas. Recent evidence from the UK suggests that there is significant leakage of N2O from pipeline infrastructure causing unnecessary contribution to healthcare’s carbon footprint as well as financial cost
- This study investigates N2O pipeline leakage in Australia and New Zealand
Primary contact:
Dr Paul Currant
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email paul.currant@cdhb.health.nz
Other research
Outcomes and anaesthetic care for percutaneous pulmonary thrombectomy
Primary contact:
Dr Tim Salam
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email timothy.salam2@cdhb.health.nz
Workforce well-being
Primary contact:
Dr Sue Nicoll
Anaesthesia Department, Health New Zealand, Canterbury (Te Whatu Ora, Waitaha)
Email susan.nicoll@cdhb.health.nz