Anesthesiology Services
The anesthesiology services at the ASCW are provided by the physicians and certified nurse anesthetists of Optum Medical Group, PC. The anesthesiologists are all Board Certified and experts in ambulatory and regional anesthesia. The ASCW routinely provides care for pediatric patients. Many of the anesthesiologists are fellowship-trained and Pediatric Anesthesia Board Certified.
Anesthesiologists are physicians who have completed a four year residency training program in the study of anesthesiology after graduating from medical school. Some anesthesiologists pursue additional subspecialty training (e.g., pediatric anesthesia, regional anesthesia) by completing a fellowship after completing the residency training.
Our anesthesiologists follow the practice guidelines established by the American Society of Anesthesiologists — the national educational, research and scientific association of physicians which maintains the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology.
The ASCW does employ nurse anesthetists. You can be assured that you will receive quality care during your stay at the Center by the anesthesia team.
There are several different anesthetic techniques which may be administered to ensure your comfort during your surgical procedure.
The anesthesia team will provide services in almost every case at the Center. The exception is for patients undergoing minor procedures, without any sedation, during which the surgeon injects a local anesthetic prior to the procedure to numb the area. This technique is called a “straight local” anesthetic and an anesthesia provider would not be involved in your care.
The four main anesthetic techniques are:
- General Anesthesia
- Regional Anesthesia
- Monitored Anesthesia Care
- Neuro-Axial Anesthesia
The anesthesia team may use a combination of the above techniques to ensure your comfort and safety and will discuss the options with you before your procedure. The basic anesthetic techniques are described below:
General Anesthesia
General anesthesia provides loss of consciousness and loss of sensation for the duration of the surgery.
Adult patients and pediatric patients usually age 10 years or older
The anesthesiologist will inject medication through an intravenous line to induce general anesthesia.
Pediatric patients usually age 10 or younger
Many children in this age group prefer to have the intravenous line started after falling asleep. In this situation, the child will fall asleep while breathing anesthetic gases through a face mask. The anesthesiologist will determine the anesthetic plan in conjunction with the parents.
Regional Anesthesia
Regional anesthesia involves the injection of a local anesthetic to provide numbness (i.e., loss of pain and/or sensation) to a certain area of the body.
Some patients may benefit from the injection of a long-acting local anesthetic to help provide pain relief during and after surgery. The numbness from the long acting local anesthetic may last for a few to several hours after surgery and sometimes even up to 24 hours. Patients are fully monitored and usually receive an intravenous sedative before a nerve block is placed. Our anesthesiologists use an ultrasound machine to guide the placement of most nerve blocks.
The most common regional anesthetics used at the Center include:
Interscalene nerve block
Local anesthetic is injected near the nerves in your neck which will numb the shoulder for surgery.
Supraclavicular nerve block
Local anesthetic is injected around the clavicle which will numb the arm and hand for surgery.
Adductor Canal block
Local anesthetic is injected near the nerves in the thigh which will numb the knee for surgery.
Popliteal nerve block
Local anesthetic is injected near the nerves in the back of the knee which will number the foot and ankle for surgery.
Pectoral nerve block
Local anesthetic is injected near the nerves around the breast which will numb the breast for surgery.
Caudal nerve block
Local anesthetic is injected around the nerves near the tailbone in pediatric genitourinary patients (after they are under general anesthesia) to provide pain relief after penile or groin surgery.
Monitored Anesthesia Care
During Monitored Anesthesia Care, the anesthesia team may administer medications to make you drowsy and relieve pain during surgery. These medications supplement the local anesthetic injections administered either by the anesthesia team or surgeon.
While you are sedated, a member of the anesthesia team will monitor you throughout the procedure. Patients may be awake or aware during the procedure with this type of technique.