Mobile anesthesia is a unique concept in Australia closely related to office-based surgery (OBS) a term used internationally for any surgical or invasive procedure performed outside hospitals with these procedures taking place in private practices or ambulatory surgery centers and often involves various levels of anesthesia, including general anesthesia, moderate sedation or deep sedation. In Australia mobile anesthesia has become particularly relevant in dental treatments and radiological procedures and allows hospital quality anaesthesia to be provided in non-hospital settings such as dental offices. This approach enables a broader range of procedures to be safely performed outside traditional hospital environments.

The growth of mobile anesthesia has been driven by convenience and efficiency, cost effectiveness, technological advancements and patient demand. An area of particular interest relates to the positive impact mobile anesthesia can offer special needs patients who often face challenges in accessing dental care. In Australia approximately 1 in six people live with disability, some with severe and profound disabilities and mobile anesthesia is helping to break down the barriers to treatment for such patients. 

The state of Victoria regulated mobile anesthesia services in 2018 and there are now 29 mobile anesthesia businesses operating in the state. Anesthesia related mortality rates in Victoria are low for mobile delivered anaesthetics at about 3.29 deaths per million people per year matching national averages. 

Given this evolving area of practice, I was curious to expand my knowledge concerning mobile anaesthesia by inviting anesthetist and Associate Professor David Canty to the podcast. David is the academic director of ultrasound simulation at the university of Melbourne and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Nursing at Monash University. He works as an anesthetist across multiple forms of complex surgeries and is the medical director of a mobile anesthesia company working with dentists in Victoria. His passion for mobile anesthesia is quite palpable, please welcome David to the podcast.

References :

Dr David Canty: www.sleepdentistry.com.au

Mobile Health Services: Department of Health ,Victoria. www.health.vic.gov.au

Mobile Anaesthesia: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov