Dr John N. Lunn OBE

Abstract

Dr John N. Lunn During that time, John worked closely with Bill Mapleson on the CO2 electrode and breathing systems used for paediatric anaesthesia. This interest in paediatrics was further developed while working with Professor Pask in Newcastle and led to his MD thesis on minute volume and compliance measurements during general anaesthesia in very small children. After a spell as Senior Registrar in Norwich, John returned to Cardiff in 1967 as a Senior Lecturer. He continued his research on paediatric anaesthesia and developed an interest in anaesthetic record keeping, an interest that would lead to his major involvement in improving safety in the peri-operative period. He authored and co-authored more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals, contributed many chapters to standard anaesthetic texts and authored Lecture Notes in Anaesthetics. He became an examiner for the primary fellowship of the Faculty of Anaesthetists and examined in a host of other countries. He was a highly respected and popular lecturer around the world and became friends with many overseas anaesthetists. His contributions have been recognised with the award of many eponymous awards and honorary fellowships. In his home patch of Cardiff, he was a staunch supporter of trainees and many (myself included) owe John enormous gratitude for the time he gave up to tutor those preparing for their fellowship examinations. He equally expected commitment from trainees both in their studies and in their clinical practice. To trainees, he might at times have seemed over-pedantic in how paediatric anaesthesia was conducted but the lessons learnt will have stayed with them all. John joined the editorial team of Anaesthesia in 1973 as an Assistant Editor. He took over from Tom Boulton as Editor-in-Chief in 1982 and developed the journal from its quarterly format into a monthly journal. He was largely responsible for pushing the journal towards the position that it now holds as one of the most highly-respected journals worldwide. Outside the world of anaesthesia, John's name is linked with patient safety. Early work in Cardiff on the epidemiology of perioperative outcome led to his becoming involved in the work that culminated in the publication in 1982 of Mortality Associated with Anaesthesia. Such was the impact of that work and the questions that it raised both in anaesthetic and surgical practice that the first Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths (CEPOD) was instigated and reported in 1987. This led onto the launch of the NCEPOD reports that have become an integral part of patient safety over the past years. There can be no doubt that John was the driving force behind NCEPOD in its early days, yet many felt that he did not receive the recognition he deserved. Some degree of recognition was provided by his being awarded an OBE in the honours list. In retirement, John and Anne moved into the country and quietly developed a passion for gardening. John Lunn's contributions to our specialty and to patient care may not seem that significant to the modern generation but for those who worked through those times, his impact has been immense. It would be fair to say that not everyone got on with John from the outset; in modern parlance he might be likened to certain yeast extract spread (you either love it or …..), but those who spent time with him learned just how much more there was to him. He was always a champion for the trainees and a stickler for meticulous care. Behind his perhaps sometimes abrupt exterior was a caring family man who I am proud to have called a friend. John has been laid to rest in the Natural Burial Ground at Usk Castle Chase alongside his wife Anne. There was no big church service, just close family and friends – the way John would have wanted it.