Anesthetic Care

Anesthetic care may be divided into the following categories: general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and monitored anesthesia care. During general anesthesia you are totally asleep and have no knowledge or awareness of your operation. Regional anesthesia usually involves numbing a certain area of the body that is involved in the operation (a spinal and an epidural are examples of regional anesthetics). You may be given tranquilizers, sedatives or other medications during regional anesthesia to make you drowsy. Monitored anesthesia care consists of the intravenous injection of various sedative and analytic medications during and after the administration of local anesthetic usually by the surgeon. Biopsies, cataract extraction and other superficial operations may lend themselves well to monitored anesthesia care. Regional and general anesthesia may be used in combination to achieve the desired effect for certain operations in certain patients.

To better monitor your lungs and your cardiovascular system the anesthesiologist may use certain invasive monitoring devices. If these devices are considered to be necessary they will be explained to you in detail. Anesthesiologists are well prepared to treat sudden medical conditions that may arise during the course of surgery and anesthesia. These include allergic reactions, responses to blood loss and other emergency conditions that may develop during the course of surgery.

The care of the pregnant patient is especially important to anesthesiologists. There are a number of problems that may occur with pregnancy that require close collaboration between the anesthesiologist and obstetrician to insure an optimal outcome for both mother and baby. These conditions include pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, premature labor, multiple pregnancies, heart disease and other conditions.

When your operation is complete you will be transported to the post anesthesia care unit (recovery room) by your anesthesiologist. Your anesthesiologist will than transfer your care to a recovery room nurse who is well trained and experienced in the management of patients who are recovering from anesthesia and surgery. The recovery room nurses will carefully monitor your condition until the effects of the anesthetic have worn off and you are suitable for transfer to another patient care area. If there are any problems that arise during your stay in the recovery room, the anesthesiologist is available for consultation. Postanesthesia recover room personnel are specially trained and educated to deal with the immediate postoperative problems of both anesthesia and surgery.