Alleyn's Medical Society: Dr Malik Ramadhan on what it mean's to be an A&E consultant

Emergency Medicine is the fast paced frontier of healthcare and the only thing really that all patients have in common is the severity of their conditions. Aside from that each new case that comes in has the potential to be absolutely anything within the gigantic spectrum that is medical conditions. Doctors working in acute medicine must be calm mannered and confident, skillful and certain with their differential diagnosis of a condition and quick to spot mistakes. If not errors can lead to potentially life altering effects for patients.

Dr Malik Ramadhan works as clinical director of A&E and acute medicine for the Bart's Health Trust, the biggest NHS Trust in the country with a workforce of 15,000. Dr Ramadhan visit was certainly a reminder that Doctor's roles aren't restricted to that only of a care provider but also as an educator and communicator, as he kept the audience on their toes by posing questions and initiating discussion. Dr Ramadhan began by discussing his work and how the geography of his catchment area affects the number of different kinds of cases he sees day to day. Working in a catchment area which is the most deprived in all of England Dr Ramadhan commented on the high number cases of diseases such as Tuberculosis, Pneumonia and also drug related conditions, in addition he commented on how he had recently even come across scurvy and leprosy, diseases we rarely associate with modern British healthcare. 

Dr Ramadhan stated that the main affect of the geography of this catchment area is the high level of stabbing injuries. Stabbing injuries are associated with knife crime which is high in north-eastern parts of London. Dr Ramadhan then went on to explain the physiology behind the body's response to being stabbed and how wounds are treated. Our blood pressure is controlled by the enzyme Renin in our kidneys, and steroids formed from cholesterol we ingest. Dr Ramadhan highlighted how whilst learning all about the biochemistry of these molecules may seem unhelpful and unnecessary during medical school he's now aware more than ever of the importance of a sound anatomical and biological understanding of how the body works in applying this knowledge in his work diagnosing patients. 

Dr Ramadhan progressed on to discuss the dangers of bacterial infections in a stabbing wound, demonstrating quite graphically the effect this can have on the body. Dr Ramadhan highlighted the reality of emergency medicine, it's severe and unforgiving to mistakes and often doesn't end in the 'happy endings' we might expect, yet even so it's rewarding and a profession that provides something absolutely fundamental to our society, literally saving lives every day.

-Izzie