Information for Patients
Things you should know about anesthesia:
- You will undergo either general anesthesia, monitored anesthesia care (MAC), or regional anesthesia. Which type of anesthesia you receive depends on your surgeon’s specific requests, the procedure you are having done, and your specific health history. Your anesthesia provider will review your medical history and explain what is best for you, usually the morning of surgery.
- Your anesthesia provider stays with you for the entire procedure, constantly monitoring every important function of your body and individually modifying your anesthetic to ensure your maximum safety and comfort.
- Your anesthesia care will be provided by a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). These are nurses who have advanced training in critical care, then 24 to 40 months of post-baccalaureate training in the specialty of anesthesia. This advanced practice nurse passes a national certification examination and is licensed to provide all forms of anesthesia in all types of care situations. Currently CRNAs provide more than 65% of all anesthetics in the United States. CRNAs are not assistants to anesthesiologists and are fully certified and licensed to practice independently.
- According to a report from the Institute of Medicine, anesthesia care is nearly 50 times safer than it was in the early 1980s. Numerous outcomes studies have demonstrated that there is no difference in the quality of care provided by CRNAs and their physician counterparts.
General Anesthesia – A state of total sleep. This includes a complete lack of memory and awareness to sight, sound and feeling. General Anesthesia is most often accomplished with some type of anesthesia gas added to oxygen and other intravenous medications to keep a patient completely asleep and pain free. This technique often includes the use of some type of device to support breathing and to protect the airway while surgery proceeds. Breathing, heart rate, oxygen saturation, EKG, temperature, blood pressure are monitored closely by your anesthesia provider the entire time from before you fall asleep until the procedure is completed and you are safely in the recovery area.
Regional Anesthesia – This is accomplished with a nerve block that numbs a particular region of the body so that surgery may take place in that area. This involves a brief injection of local anesthetic near a nerve or nerve pathway. An example would be the injections you may receive at the dentist when he or she makes part of your mouth numb. When your anesthesia provider administers a regional anesthetic for you, frequently an ultrasound guidance system is used to make the injection as precise as possible. Sometimes a regional anesthetic is added to a general anesthetic, but can also be the main technique used to provide anesthesia. Except in rare circumstances, sedative medication is also administered through the intravenous line to allow you to doze through your procedure while breathing on your own. You may be occasionally aware of sounds or touch, but you will comfortable and safe throughout your procedure. Your anesthesia provider will be by your side throughout and all vital signs will be watched with the same attention as with a general anesthetic.
MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) – This term is used to describe situations when your procedure does not require a general or regional anesthetic. Frequently your surgeon will numb the operative area with an injection of local anesthetic and your anesthesia provider will administer some medication through your intravenous line to help you relax enough so that you can cooperate easily with your surgeon. You may or may not be aware of your surroundings, but you will be completely comfortable and safe the whole time. Most often you will fall asleep on your own and will not remember any part of your procedure. The amount and type of sedation you will receive will vary according to your needs, and the requirements of the procedure being performed. Again, your anesthesia provider will be with you and will be monitoring everything closely from before the procedure begins until you are safely released to the recovery area.
To understand more about the education and continuing education of CRNAs, please visit the NBCRNA website.
Questions you might ask your doctor or per-op nurse before your surgery...
- Which type of anesthesia is best for me and the surgery I am having?
- What and when should I avoid eating or drinking before I come in to have my surgery?
- Is it alright to come alone or should someone come with me?
- Which kinds of medications do you need to know I am taking before I am operated on?
- Is it alright to take medications for my allergies before I come in?
- I have asthma, what do I need to know before and after I have surgery?
- I am diabetic, are there any special concerns before or after I have my surgery?
- I take complementary / alternative medicines–will these pose any problems or is it alright to keep taking them before my surgery? What about herbal supplements?
- Will I be able to eat solid foods right after my surgery?
- What if I have more questions after the surgery? Who can I contact?
Once you are scheduled for surgery at one of our centers, and you have specific concerns about your health risks or past experience with anesthesia that you would like to discuss with an anesthesia provider, contact us.
Have a question about your bill?
If you have questions about your bill and your procedure was covered by private insurance or worker’s compensation, call our insurance billing office: Medical Billing & Integrating Services, 559-436-0871 x118 or email yvette@medbis.com. If you are a cash pay patient, contact us at 559-325-7787 or email linda@caiclovis.com