Anesthesiology and essential tremor

[dan321]

Hello,

 

I am currently a second year med student considering future residencies to apply to. There is some essential tremor in my family, of varying severity (I myself do not have any yet), such that I've always tended to exclude the surgical specialties. However, recently I've become more and more interested by the field of anesthesiology.

 

Now my question is: even though it isn't a surgical specialty per se, I hear that some amount of hand dexterity is still quite important in this profession. Would anesthesiology be something that I could consider? (given the possibility that I may develop essential tremor in the future).

 

I would also be interested in knowing of the effectiveness of treatment for this, and if anyone has personal anecdotes of doctors dealing with such problems.

 

Thanks very much

[TimmyMax]

Hey man,

 

There's a staff member here in London with a pretty bad essential tremor, but since most skills in anaesthesia require only large movements of the hands, this shouldn't be an issue. That said, there are a few things, namely epidurals, advanced peripheral and somatic nerve blocks, and maybe invasive lines that would require a steadier hand, depending on the patient population, but with the emergence of ultrasound guidance, that need is greatly diminished (it's always easier to do something when you can see where you are aiming/going!).

 

All in all, I wouldn't really let this stop you, if you are currently asymptomatic and really want to do anaesthesia. I've never heard of the staff member being unable to perform any of the skills in question solely on account of their essential tremor (they don't do peripheral and somatic nerve blocks, but they do perform invasive lines and neuraxial techniques without a problem), so I don't think it is that big of a deal. So I say go for it- just remember to buy disability insurance in case things progress to the point where you can't safely do your job!