Books
The journey as a doctor can be compared to the course of a Himalayan river. Starting with glacial lakes the river descends to sea level enriching life along its path. It creates waterfalls and scenic vistas for viewers. The rich soil near the basin as it reaches the sea is like the wisdom and experience of a senior physician. I have learnt from my teachers, colleagues, and patients in my journey as a doctor. This book of mine is to highlight and share my key learnings as an anaesthetist.
Think Like an Anaesthetist
October 2021
Think like an Anaesthetist takes you inside the workings of an operating theatre and the mind of the anaesthetist. You will learn the various life tools which applied to your life will make it richer in every sense.
Book Reviews
1. Well narrated & written in Lucid language
2. Every chapter and sub chapter starts with a case scenario, which is very interesting and gives a feel of reading a story book or a novel rather than a medical book.
3. Even a nonmedical person can understand and relate to his day to day living
4. This book should be treasured and read again & again periodically as it gives a lot of life lessons
5. I realised the depth and breadth of knowledge which an anaesthetist should possess
6. I realised the importance of monitoring in our day to day lives
7. Realised the importance of communication by an anaesthetist, whereas most of them feel that anaesthetist’s do not communicate with the patients
8. Keeping the communication short and simple & assertive communication is an essential message for all of us and to be practiced in our day to day lives
9. Chapter on taking decisions was very technical and complex – Wish it could have been simpler
10. Number of quotes incorporated in the book signifies that you are a voracious reader and the scholarly nature in you
11. Comparing anaesthesia to aviation / airline industry at many places emphasises the precision involved in both the places
12. Various comparisons and examples given in this book show cases that you are an all-rounder with a broader perspective of life
13. Kudos to the exhaustive Bibliography
Dr Sudeepa
"A typical day in an anaesthesiologist’s life is filled with hours of boredom and moments of terror. “We do have occasions where decisions have to be made in a split second,” says Thondebhavi, who has brilliantly captured the life of an anaesthetist in his book Think Like An Anaesthetist. “When patients entrust their life with us, that itself is a demanding position to be……After having read the book THINK LIKE AN ANAESTHETIST I can only imagine the tension, anxiety and pressure on a daily basis. My deep respect and gratitude to anesthetists. @Murali this is an awesome and amazing book with wonderful insight, looking forward to read more such wonderful works from you 🙏
Vajeeha Afsan
Think like an Anaesthetist by Dr Murali Thondebavi made an excellent reading. Initial thoughts were that it would be a medical research paper or an esoteric subject meant for a certain fraternity.
But as you rustle through the book, it is a fantastic journey of 360-degree view of life through the prism of an anaesthetist. The book encapsulates management concepts, psychology, humane gestures, and the perils of half knowledge in any profession, more so in the field of medicine. The author has beautifully articulated how important each role is professionally and how some however important are unsung heroes.
A beautiful read for everyone.
One very important aspect is you need not go through the book sequentially. You could read from whichever chapter, but the beauty is once it's in your hand you are likely to complete it.
Kudos to Dr.Murali for covering a very wide spectrum of subjects in a very lucid manner
Mr Harish Raghu Ex HSBC BANK VP
I read the book page by page (honestly!) because it was an easy, interesting and absorbing read not to mention the fact that I have time on my hands now! There are many pearls of wisdom in the book for doctors aspiring to be anaesthetists. The case studies and the anecdotes are captivating. It took me back to the days when I trained in the department of anaesthesia for 6 months in a state government hospital. I was in awe of the ability of the anaesthetists to allay fear before and pain during surgery. They are truly the unsung heroes in the OT. Patients seldom know them. The important ritual of a thorough pre-anaesthetic discussion and assessment has become replaced by a cursory hello near the operation table or a perfunctory preoperative pep talk. Sadly, I have seen anaesthetists walking into the OT after the surgeon has scrubbed, placing the mask on the unsuspecting patient and walking away soon after the operation is over without ever speaking a word to the patient. My first professor and mentor lost his wife after the delivery of his only son in the recovery ward just because his professor who did the CS and the professor who gave anaesthesia were busy congratulating him. He taught us not to leave a patient in the recovery ward until the patient has fully recovered, sometimes even after the anaesthetist left, a practice I followed diligently until the last case I operated. The rapport between the surgeon and the anaesthetist is supremely vital, but the anaesthetist gets very little time to develop rapport with his patient. The patient seldom gets a chance to choose his/her anaesthetist. In several hospitals, even the surgeon is not given this privilege. It is like going to war with what you have, not what you want! How many surgeons introduce the anaesthetist to their patients before surgery? How many patients express gratitude to the anaesthetist after successful surgery or delivery, let alone offer gifts? A psychiatrist friend of mine lamented that, unlike obstetricians, he seldom gets invited to his patients’ family functions for obvious reasons. Anaesthetists do not get invited because their patients seldom get to learn even their names! I visited the MGH in Boston to see the room in which the first attempt at ether administration was done. The experience enhances one’s respect for the profession. Similar exciting stories exist in obstetrics as well with particular regard to CS and forceps deliveries! History teaches and fascinates. I hope that all anaesthetists will read and benefit from this book particularly at a time when the reading habit is unfortunately waning.
Dr Narayanan, Senior Obstetrician
The book is a complete and interesting 'tour', across many many disciplines, thought processes, ideas and at the same time an extremely personal story. Looking forward to more...
Madhumati, Senior Educationist
I have read such a book for the first time in my life written by my friend Dr Murali Thondebhavi, Anaesthesiologist from Bangalore. I will recommend everyone to read this book to, not only doctors but common people. Go through the first chapter of this book as a trailer to have an idea. It is written in very simple English language with very cool, calm and readable pages. It is available on Amazon. Thank you my friend for such a nice and wonderful book.
Dr Tushar Choksi, Senior Anaesthesiologist
Excellently written, takes the reader through the various phases of anaesthesia training and practice that helps an individual navigate any crisis in life with precision, calm, peace, safety and happiness despite the most stressful environment ....the operation theatre, ICUs, Emergency departments where an Anaesthetist works... and are very well correlated anecdotally with day to day life. A must-read for all....
Dr Sunil Pandya, Senior Anaesthesiologist, Hyderabad
The book is very well written. The journey of career of anaesthetist is finely interwoven with anecdotes and essential life skills and keeps the reader engaged throughout. Language is simple and helps the reader to easily understand the key aspects author intends to convey. Topics on communication and stress are very well captured.
I recommend this book strongly to all medicos and non-medicos to understand the roles and responsibilities of anesthetists who play a great role behind the scenes in patients' life and also understand the take-home messages on life skills...
Dr Kavitha Ganesh
Dr. Murali was my anaesthetist during my shoulder surgery. This was 7 years ago. He was cool, calm and inspired confidence. This book has brought out the essence of his personality. His deep knowledge of his field of medicine is complemented by his knowledge of multiple facets of life. He has managed to share his rich experience in a structured manner, keeping the content concise and yet providing ample references for inquiring minds. I loved the sprinkling of cases. This would probably be a good introduction to doctors wanting to specialize in the field of anaesthesia. It is also a good guide for the common man to know about a fascinating branch of medicine, which is little known.
Mr Krishnakumar, Strategic Business Advisor, Start Up Mentor, Educator
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