| Abstract | 「Introduction」Anaesthesia for cardiac surgery in the Republic of Singapore was established in 1967. From that historical event, there has been an exponential development of the workload and status of cardiac anaesthesia. Singapore has evolved through the last three decades into a modern metropolis. The resulting changes in socioeconomic status and lifestyle have altered the spectrum of diseases prevalent in this island state. Degenerative diseases have overtaken infectious diseases to become the predominant cause of morbidity and mortality. Over the same period of time, we also noted a change in the spectrum of cardiac diseases. Rheumatic, syphilitic and hypertensive heart diseases are less frequent problems. Degenerative atherosclerotic coronary artery disease have become not only the predominant cardiac problem but the main cause of illness in our community1). 「Facility, manpower and training」Presently, there are four hospitals offering cardiac surgery to a population of 2.8 millions, two government structured (Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital), and two others being private corporations (Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Gleneagles Hospital). The present manpower status of the cardiac teams include cardiothoracic surgeons (n=19), cardiothoracic anaesthetists (n=25), cardiologists (n=51), perfusionists (n=11) and nurses working in the operating room and the cardiothoracic intensive care unit (n=90). |
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