Postoperative Care and Handover
Examiners will often ask where the patient should go after surgery and what postoperative analgesia you would provide.
Destination
- Recovery room for routine cases.
- High-dependency unit (HDU) for patients requiring close monitoring (e.g., epidural analgesia, significant co-morbidity, major surgery with anticipated fluid shifts).
- Intensive care unit (ICU) for patients needing organ support (mechanical ventilation, vasoactive drugs, renal replacement therapy).
Justify your choice based on the patient's pre-operative risk, the magnitude of surgery, and the anticipated postoperative course.
Analgesia
Describe a multimodal analgesic plan:
- Regional techniques (epidural, peripheral nerve blocks, local anaesthetic infiltration).
- Simple analgesics (paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs if not contraindicated).
- Opioids (patient-controlled analgesia, nurse-administered boluses).
Mention monitoring requirements (e.g., regular sensory and motor assessment for epidurals, respiratory rate and sedation score for opioid infusions).
Handover
Briefly state what information you would hand over to recovery or ICU staff: patient demographics, surgical procedure, anaesthetic technique, intra-operative course (blood loss, fluid balance, complications), current observations, analgesia plan, and any ongoing concerns.
Intensive Care and Emergency Scenarios
The EDAIC clinical SOE also covers intensive care admissions and emergency presentations. The same structured approach applies:
- Assess: Airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure. Gather history and examination findings.
- Investigate: Arterial blood gas, lactate, chest radiograph, ECG, blood tests, imaging as indicated.
- Resuscitate: Oxygen, fluid resuscitation, vasopressors or inotropes, source control (e.g., antibiotics and drainage for sepsis).
- Diagnose and treat the underlying cause: Septic shock, cardiogenic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, traumatic brain injury, etc.
- Organ support: Mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, haemodynamic support.
- Monitor and reassess: Serial observations, repeat investigations, escalation if deteriorating.
Examiners will probe your understanding of pathophysiology, your ability to interpret investigations (e.g., a blood gas showing metabolic acidosis), and your knowledge of relevant guidelines (e.g., Surviving Sepsis Campaign, ARDS Network ventilation strategies). Describe these in general terms; do not invent specific protocol details.
Frequently Asked Questions
The EDAIC Part 2 is a structured oral examination (clinical SOE) generally conducted in English. You will face a series of guided clinical questions presented by pairs of examiners, covering anaesthesia, intensive care, and emergency scenarios. Each station tests your ability to assess, plan, and manage cases systematically.
How should I structure my answers in the EDAIC clinical SOE?
Use a peri-operative framework: pre-operative assessment and optimisation, intra-operative planning (technique, monitoring, contingencies), and postoperative care (destination, analgesia, handover). For intensive care or emergency cases, follow an ABCDE approach, investigate, resuscitate, diagnose, and provide organ support. Speak your reasoning aloud—examiners cannot award marks for silent thought.
Can I quote specific drug doses in the viva?
Only if you are certain. Examiners value systematic reasoning and safety awareness over precise dosing. If asked, you can describe dose ranges qualitatively (e.g., "a small bolus of vasopressor") or state that you would consult a reference or local protocol. Do not invent doses.
How do I prepare for EDAIC oral clinical questions?
Practise verbalising cases aloud with colleagues or mentors. Work through scenarios covering the breadth of anaesthesia and intensive care—elective and emergency surgery, obstetrics, paediatrics, trauma, sepsis, airway emergencies. Use a structured framework every time. Familiarise yourself with major guidelines (difficult airway, sepsis, ARDS) in general terms, and refine your ability to adapt when the examiner introduces a complication.
Final Thoughts
The EDAIC Part 2 clinical viva rewards candidates who can think systematically, communicate clearly, and demonstrate safe, guideline-aware practice. By anchoring your preparation in the peri-operative continuum—assessment, planning, monitoring, contingency, and postoperative care—you build a mental scaffold that works for any scenario the examiners present. Practise verbalising your reasoning, seek feedback from senior colleagues, and remember that examiners are assessing competence, not perfection.
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