Alastair Forbes Nimmo

Alastair Forbes Nimmo

"Persons of distinction who have contributed to the advancement of intravenous anaesthesia are eligible for election as Honorary Members on the nomination of the committee"

Dr Alastair Forbes Nimmo

Alastair Nimmo graduated as a doctor in 1983 from Aberdeen University, and undertook the early part of his training in Aberdeen, Newcastle and through the Lothian rotational registrar/senior registrar schemes. Alastair’s earliest involvement with research was during a Fellow’s post in Edinburgh when he examined patterns of overnight respiratory disturbance after abdominal surgery.

Alastair then accepted a post as Specialist Anaesthetist in Berlin but returned to a Consultant’s post at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in 1995. He was a member of the research team from Edinburgh University which published a novel method for determining the ‘apparent ke0’ for use with the ‘Marsh’ propofol TCI model, and validated this numeric in clinical studies.

Alastair served as President of SIVA from 2009-2012.

When the RCoA asked SIVA to nominate an anaesthetist to join the NAP5 Steering Panel and Case Review Panel, Alastair was first choice.He was principle author of three of the chapters in the NAP5 report: Total Intravenous Anaesthesia, Neuromuscular Blocking Drugs, and Depth of Anaesthesia Monitoring.From SIVA’s perspective, the most important chapter was on “Total Intravenous Anaesthesia” which offered a detailed analysis of ‘TIVA-related’ AAGA cases and gave balance to a disturbing headline statement of relative AAGA risk of TIVA versus volatile hypnosis. Alastair was a co-recipient of the 2016 Humphrey Davy Medal from the RCoA in recognition of his contribution to the NAP5 project.

Alastair was Co-Chair of the AAGBI/SIVA Working Party which produced the hugely important document “Best Practice in Intravenous Anaesthesia”. This work has given a framework to the profession for maintaining and improving standards of TIVA practice and is much quoted in the world’s literature.

Alastair is also an expert on vascular anaesthesia and perioperative coagulation and has co-written a book and numerous other book chapters on this subject. His interest in these matters followed-on from his role in a teamset up in the 1990s to provide thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysmsurgery. Frustrated by the difficulty he encountered when managing severe intraoperative coagulopathy, Alastair obtained funding to develop a thromboelastography service, which has flourished and now encompasses major surgical, intensive care and emergency medicine specialities. In parallel, Alastair helped to develop peri-operative blood conservation practice at his institute.

Alastair’s interest in management of coagulopathy and blood conservation led to the role of Lead Clinician for Better Blood Transfusion with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. In recognition of this expertise, he was invited to join the AAGBI working party to produce guidelines on “Surgery and Peri-operative Care for Jehovah’s Witnesses and Patients Who Refuse Blood and on Cell Salvage for Peri-operative Blood Conservation”.

Alastair’s contribution to the science and practice of intravenous anaesthesia fully warrants his nomination for honorary membership of our Society.