Anaesthesiology Critical Care
Welcome to Stellenbosch University

Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care

​​
Th
e Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care of Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital prides itself in its ability to help both patients and colleagues by sharing our knowledge and experience. In order to achieve this, the department advocates a clinical practice based on hard science and an inherent curiosity to understand mechanism rather than a recipe type approach. This scientifically based practise is exercised in a disciplined environment where our patients are managed with the necessary compassion and interest in their total welfare.

The Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care is committed to responsible and scientific patient care by adhering to known scientific principles and continuing research. The department places a high premium on the development of critical judgement in under- and postgraduate students. 

The department is intensely involved with the total operating room activity and perioperative patient care at Tygerberg Hospital, in all surgical disciplines. Furthermore the department has a well-established track record in Surgical Intensive Care at Tygerberg Hospital, as well as in the formal academic programme and research in Critical Care. 

The programme for undergraduate medical students, as set out in the MBChB curriculum, includes lectures to the MBChB IV students as well as clinical rotation during MBChB V. The latter comprises rotation through the skills laboratory, recovery room, intensive care and operating rooms. The total undergraduate exposure is 6 weeks. 

Postgraduate academic training is done in the clinical environment but formalized academic teaching is held for junior registrars on Monday afternoons (Physiology, Physics and Pharmacology), and senior registrars have seminars on Friday afternoons. On Wednesday afternoons the department has a formal academic meeting.

MMed students, as required by the University, must complete a research assignment and a number of topics have been researched and published in the department.

The special combination of clinical research, big animal laboratory research and the option to do small animal research, allows the department to contribute to the scientific development of Anesthesiology and Critical Care in South Africa and internationally.​