What is Anesthesia?
Anesthesia is the process of providing pain relief and sedation for a patient while they are undergoing a medical procedure. Anesthesia can involve inducing unconsciousness in a patient and/or blocking pain in a specific area on the body.
When a patient is under anesthesia, it allows surgeons to perform surgeries and medical procedures that might be too difficult or painful to perform while a patient is awake or unsedated. Anesthesia also helps reduce anxiety and high blood pressure that can result from a surgical operation.
Who Can Administer Anesthesia?
Anesthesia is delivered by specially-trained physicians who are known as anesthesiologists. Anesthesiologists specialize in delivering pain-relieving medications and monitor patients’ vitals while patients are undergoing surgery. Along with a bachelor’s degree, anesthesiologists must complete medical school, a four-year residency, and be licensed by whichever state they hope to practice in. These requirements are the same whether an anesthesiologist provides anesthesia services in New York, Maui, or on Oahu.
Your anesthesiologist will ensure that, while you are sedated during surgery, your vital signs – blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and oxygen levels – are stable. If problems are encountered during surgery, your anesthesiologist will also work with your surgical team to safely fix the problem.
Anesthesiology, in some situations, may also be performed by a CRNA, or a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, or a licensed dentist who has received a state permit to perform anesthesia from the State of Hawaii.
During surgery, your anesthesia will often be performed by either a board-certified anesthesiologist or by a combined care team that may also include a CRNA or an anesthesiologist technician.
Types of Anesthesiology
Your anesthesiologist will work with you and your surgical team to identify an anesthesia plan that is most appropriate for the type of procedure that you are receiving and your general medical condition.
There are three main types of anesthesia:
- General anesthesia affects your entire body. Your anesthesiologist will generally induce a loss of consciousness so that you will not be awake during your surgical procedure. While you are asleep, you will be provided with a breathing tube and ventilator to help you breathe.
- Sedation does not generally involve unconsciousness. Instead, you may have your nervous system suppressed in a way that will reduce your anxiety and block the ability for your brain to create long-term memories of your procedure. This is often used during surgeries where it may be unsafe for a patient to be unconscious, including certain types of neurosurgeries. You may be sedated alongside other types of anesthesia.
- Regional anesthesia is used to block pain or sensation in a specific region of the body. Like sedation, this can be performed either by itself or with another type of anesthesia, including general. When you are given regional anesthesia, feeling will be taken away from the part of your body that is being operated on. Regional anesthesia is often provided when you are receiving certain types of orthopedic or dental surgery. Benefits of regional anesthesia include a lower risk of blog clots and less blood loss.
Preparing for Anesthesia
When having surgery, it is important to follow your doctor and surgical team’s instructions in preparing for operations day.
Some anesthesia plans and surgical procedures may require that you fast by avoiding food and/or drink for a certain period of time prior to your surgery. Your surgical team may also require you to avoid taking certain medications for a period of time before your surgery or to bring all the medications you take with you on your surgery day.
You should also have a responsible adult available to drive you home on the day of your surgery, even if you are receiving regional anesthesia. Anesthesia drugs may impair your ability to drive.
What to Expect
Before your surgery
Before every surgery, you can expect to meet with your surgery team’s anesthesiologist. You will often meet your anesthesiologist on the day of your surgery. But it is not unusual for some patients to meet their anesthesiologist the day before their procedure.
Your anesthesiologist’s chief concern is your health and safety. When meeting your anesthesiologist, they will generally ask you a series of questions about your medical history and, if applicable, your prior experiences with anesthesia. They will also review any recent laboratory tests that you may have received while preparing for surgery. You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions you might have about your procedure and about the anesthesia that you will be receiving. Then, your anesthesiologist will discuss your anesthesia options for the procedure that you are having. Your anesthesiologist’s goal is to identify an anesthesiology plan that is the safest and most effective option for you based on your medical condition, the procedure that you are having, and your own personal preferences.
During your surgery
Depending on the type of procedure that you are having, you will generally be awake when you arrive to the operating room. If you are underdoing general anesthesia, you might only remain conscious for a few moments while receiving a combination of anesthetic drugs that are both inhaled and delivered intravenously.
While unconscious, your vitals, including blood pressure and heart rate, will be monitored by your anesthesiologist throughout your surgical procedure. Your anesthesiologist will also monitor and provide any necessary anesthetic and pain medications you may need to receive throughout the procedure.
After surgery
After surgery, your anesthesiologist is also responsible for monitoring your pain and post-operative medications as you recover and, if general anesthesia was performed, return to consciousness. It is common for some patients to experience nausea and/or vomiting, though modern anesthetic techniques, including medications you may receive on the day of your surgery, may minimize this concern. You may also feel dizzy or drowsy upon being discharged from the hospital. It is important to stay in contact with your doctor and/or surgical team to discuss any concerns you may have while recovering.
Your comfort and care are your anesthesiologist’s top priorities. Contact IMC to learn more about the services we offer or how to start a career as a physician anesthesiologist.
