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Dr Helgi Johannsson

Welcome to my page

I have been a consultant anaesthetist at Imperial College Healthcare since 2007, having trained at St Bartholomew’s, then anaesthetic training in North and East London. My clinical work is based at St Mary’s and Hammersmith hospitals and includes a wide variety of disciplines, including trauma care, oesophagogastric surgery, obstetrics, bariatrics.

My other interests include education, social media and medicine, music and exercise. I have been in many leadership roles, including clinical director of anaesthesia and intensive care, associate medical director for education at Imperial, director of anaesthesia for MSI choices and most recently Vice-President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

I have long kept a blog, on two different providers, the first being deleted a few years ago.

This website is simply to make access to my writing easier and protect it from being deleted on a corporate whim.

Helgi Johannsson Helgi Johannsson

Epidurals in labour - a lifesaver?

Epidurals save lives and we should be telling our patients well before they get to the labour ward.

We need to change the concept of “natural labour” - no one has failed because they had an epidural, in fact the decision to have one will help them and their babies come through what is naturally a highly dangerous process unscathed, especially if they’re at risk of complications.

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Wait…did you say he’s unconscious?

Our patients deserve to have access to doctors on the frontline. Yes, we are more expensive than a telephone operator, but we are efficient decision makers trained to see a bigger picture, to look after the whole patient and use our skills to anticipate other issues that might come up. We are good value.

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LGBT history and medicine

“we have been deleted from history where we were present, but in most cases we hid our homosexuality well and never featured at all”

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Something’s not right….

I’ve been meaning to write this account for a while, but I wanted my patient to have her operation successfully before writing it. I want to thank her and her daughter profusely for not only allowing, but encouraging me to write this.

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Helgi Johannsson Helgi Johannsson

These jelly babies taste terrible

In March 2020 before we had COVID-19 tests or knew much, I realised my muscle ache wasn’t just a bad yoga class as I lost my sense of smell.

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I wish you a good death

It’s not all about saving lives, providing a good, dignified death is as important. We need to talk to our closest friends and relatives.

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Helgi Johannsson Helgi Johannsson

WhatsApp Doc

Instant messaging is here to stay, and essential in our day to day and emergency communications.

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