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Who is an Anesthesiologist?

Types of Anesthesia

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Complications include, but are not limited to, irregular heartbeats, heart attack, allergic reactions, cardiac arrest, airway blockage, lack of oxygen, physical injury (such as chipped teeth, loss of teeth), muscle cramps, and death. Minor complications such as sore throat, headache, hoarseness, drowsiness, muscle aches, and fatigue are common during the first several days following surgery.

Fortunately, the incidence of these and other potentially serious adverse events following either general or regional anesthesia is relatively remote. Complications from anesthesia have declined dramatically over the last 40 years. Since 1970, the number of anesthesiologists has more than doubled and, at the same time and at virtually the same rate, patient outcomes have improved. In just the last decade, estimates for the number of deaths attributed to anesthesia have dropped 25-fold from 1 in 10,000 anesthetics to 1 in 250,000 today.

All this has occurred during a time when the youngest of premature infants in neonatal units survive intricate, lifesaving procedures and 100-year-old patients undergo and recover from major surgeries that were once thought to be impossible to perform in these patients.

Types of Anesthesia

Local Anesthesia

The anesthetic drug is usually injected into the tissue to numb just the specific location of your body requiring minor surgery, for example, on the hand or foot.

Regional Anesthesia

Your anesthesiologist makes an injection near a cluster of nerves to numb the area of your body that requires or has undergone surgery. You might be awake, or you may be given something to help you relax, sometimes called a sedative. There are several kinds of regional anesthesia. Two of the most frequently used are spinal and epidural anesthesia, which are produced by injections made with great exactness in the appropriate areas of the back. In addition, regional anesthetics may be used to provide long lasting pain relief after a surgery has been performed. Below are links that show the techniques for two of the most commonly performed nerve blocks used to provide pain relief after knee and shoulder surgery, respectively.

Risks of Regional Anesthesia

Use of local anesthetics that produce a loss of sensation in a limited area can produce systemic reactions that can cause dizziness, ringing in the ears, loss of consciousness, seizures, and cardiac arrest. During major blocks, the blood vessels may relax and cause low blood pressure. Infections at the site of the injections can range from inconsequential to life threatening. Epidural, spinal and caudal blocks may also be associated with headaches that may last for several days that require special treatment. There is also a small chance of nerve damage after having a regional anesthetic. In general, the risk is less than 1 in 1000 procedures but the risk is slightly higher in patients with certain medical conditions such as diabetes.

General Anesthesia

You are unconscious and have no awareness or other sensations. There are a number of general anesthetic drugs. Some are gases or vapors inhaled through a breathing mask or tube and others are medications introduced through a vein. During anesthesia, your blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, and breathing are carefully monitored, controlled and treated by your anesthesiologist. A breathing tube may be inserted through your mouth and frequently into the windpipe to maintain proper breathing during this period. The length and level of anesthesia is calculated and constantly adjusted with great precision. At the conclusion of surgery, your anesthesiologist will reverse the process and you will regain awareness in the recovery room.

Risks of General Anesthesia

All operations and anesthesia involve some degree of risk. The nature of your operation and your overall pre-operative condition are important factors that are considered when estimating the risks for your particular operative experience.

Inhaling Stomach Contents

into the lungs is a more serious complication. It is important not to eat or drink anything prior to your surgery. You may be given a preoperative medication to reduce the amount of your stomach’s contents. Finally, a breathing tube may be inserted during anesthetic induction to prevent these contents from spilling over into your lungs.