School of Medicine


Research in the Department of Anaesthesiology

As a department we have a diverse research programme. Research conducted in the department ranges from the clinical assessment of novel drugs, through to the use of simulation as a tool for analysing error in anaesthesia. Staff involved in research include clinicians, scientists, research coordinators and postgraduate students.

Research group


Some of our research interests / projects:


  • Anaesthetists be cleaner (ABC)
  • Airway management
  • Circadian variation of anaesthetic drug action
  • Drosophila, Honey bees and mice as animal models to determine the effect of anaesthesia on the circadian clock
  • Clinical implications of fatigue and circadian disruption to clinicians and patients
  • EEG effects of anaesthesia and sleep modelling
  • Emergency surgical airways
  • Human factors
  • Improvement of neuro-cognitive outcome after cardiac surgery
  • Incident monitoring within anaesthesia
  • Mechanisms of anaesthesia
  • Medical education in anaesthesiology
  • Microbial contamination of IV drugs during their administration in anaesthesia
  • Novel ketamine analogues
  • Pathophysiology of arterial bubbles
  • Pathophysiology and treatment of decompression illness in divers
  • Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of analgesic drugs in children and neonates
  • Prevention of drug administration error in anaesthesia and simulation as a tool for error research
  • Sleep disorders in the New Zealand blind population
  • Teamwork in perioperative teams and effect on patient outcomes
  • The implications of automated record keeping within anaesthesia
  • Use of closed circuit “rebreather” technology by divers
  • WHO Safe Surgical Checklist

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