Royal Papworth Hospital anaesthetists work closely together and with physicians and surgeons to deliver an excellent patient experience.

Our anaesthetic care reflects the comprehensive effort of an exceptional team of consultant anaesthetists, anaesthetists in training, anaesthetic associates, operational department practitioners and anaesthetic nurses.  Through excellence in clinical skills, research, education, and innovation, we improve peri-operative outcomes in cardiac and thoracic anaesthesia for a variety of surgeries that may include coronary surgery, heart valve surgery, surgery of the aorta, lung cancer resection and heart and lung transplantation. 

Anaesthetists at Royal Papworth not only deliver advanced care in the operating theatre but also provides anaesthetic care in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory for procedures such as TAVI (trans-aortic valve implantation), atrial fibrillation ablation, and pacemaker or cardiac re-synchronisation.

Our anaesthetists are the only group in UK to look after patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension undergoing Pulmonary Endarterectomy (PEA) surgery. In 2017/18, Royal Papworth was the busiest PEA centre in the world and continues to be one of the most experienced internationally.

The anaesthetic team is highly-trained in the management of acute and chronic pain, and one of the few in the country offering opioid-free anaesthesia for thoracic surgery and spontaneous ventilation lung surgery for thymoma excision in patients with myasthenia gravis. We were the UK's first hospital to perform opioid-free anaesthesia in thoracic surgery and have now treated 200 patients using this innovative method. 

All patients receive an anaesthetic review before surgery. Perioperative anaesthesia is designed to help patients improve their overall well-being as they prepare for surgery, in order to positively impact their surgical experience and long-term health outcomes.

Our commitment to providing high-quality anaesthesia care and creating a positive patient experience is always our top priority.

National and international roles

Many of the consultant anaesthetists are recognised opinion-leaders with external roles on national and international bodies including: the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA); the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland (AAGBI); the Association for Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia & Critical Care (ACTACC); the General Medical Council (GMC); the British Medical Association (BMA); the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FICM); the Intensive Care Society (ICS); the European Society of Anaesthesiology; and the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists.