Dr R Peter Alston

Pete is a Consultant Anaesthetist and Honorory Senior Clinical Lecturer based in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Background

Peter Alston trained in medicine at the University of Glasgow. He undertook post-graduate training in anaesthesia and critical care in Edinburgh, Auckland and Glasgow. Subsequently, he spent two years working at the University of Washington.

Research

His main research interests have been related to cardiac anaesthesia and critical care. In particular, he has maintained a long interest in effects of cardiopulmonary bypass upon the body. This has involved examination of systemic oxygen uptake and more recently, the influence of cerebral oxygenation during and after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery on cognitive and neurological outcome. Other research interests have included spinal anaesthesia, professional attitudes and postoperative analgesia.

Teaching

Although committed to postgraduate training in cardiac anaesthesia, his main teaching interests relate to undergraduate training in the form of introductory courses in problem based learning and research projects.

Audit

Clinical audit and critical incident reporting are also of importance. He has organised many audits including postoperative analgesia that have been instrumental in changing the delivery of clinical care. Currently, he is auditing antibiotic prophylaxis for surgery.

Roles

He is secretary for the Medical Staff Association at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. This year, he was elected to the Scottish Standing Committee of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.