It's more than just "putting you to sleep."

• We are physician specialists and members of the surgical team.
• Our job is to ensure your comfort and safety during surgery.
• We take care of your breathing, your heart, your circulation, your kidneys, your brain and other important bodily functions during an operation.
• We are the doctors who will immediately diagnose and treat any medical problems that might arise during your surgery or recovery period.
• We give you anesthesia to ensure unconsciousness, prevent and treat pain, and relax your muscles during surgery so that your surgeon can focus on the operation.
• We care for your pain needs after surgery.
• We care for patients in the Intensive Care Unit.

Most of the major operations are performed under General Anesthesia and you will be unconscious and have no awareness of the surgical procedure or other sensations. The judicious combination of intravenous drugs and inhaled gases will be individualized to you and your needs by your Anesthesiologist to provide the precise level of effects required for your safety and comfort and to facilitate your surgeon to perform the procedure.

Regional Anesthesia involves injection of anesthetic medications near a cluster of nerves so that only the area of your body that requires surgery will be numb. Spinals and epidurals are types of regional anesthesia which effectively block sensation and movement in the lower half of your body. This type of anesthesia is used for many different types of procedures, including Orthopedic, Urological, Abdominal, Gynecologic, and Obstetric. With Regional Anesthesia, you may remain awake or you may be given IV sedation so that you will be relaxed and sleepy during the surgery without being unconscious. In some cases, Regional Anesthesia techniques, such as Epidurals, can be used very effectively after surgery to prevent or treat postoperative pain.

You usually receive pain medication and sedative through your intravenous line from your Anesthesiologist. These medications supplement Local Anesthesia injections given by the surgeon into the skin and around the Operative Site. While you are sedated, your Anesthesiologist will monitor your vital body functions.

The surgeon injects local anesthetic to provide numbness at the surgical site. In addition, the surgeon may direct the operating room nurse to administer a mild sedative.