For Patients

From the American Society of Anesthesiologists 

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If you’re preparing for surgery, you’ve probably given a lot of thought to the education, training, and experience of the surgeon performing the procedure. But you may not have thought much about the anesthesiologist or the importance of his or her medical expertise in your procedure — before, during, and after — to keep you safe and comfortable.

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Anesthesiologists meet with you and your surgeon before surgery to assess your health and make decisions to ensure your anesthesia care is as safe and effective as possible. They monitor your vital signs during surgery, including how well your heart and lungs are working while you’re unconscious, and they take care of you after surgery to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible while you recover.

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Anesthesiologists also play a key role in taking care of patients who are having minor surgery or who may not require general anesthesia, such as women in labor who need to be awake and alert but require effective pain management. They also help patients who have serious pain from an injury, or chronic or recurring pain such as migraines or ongoing back problems.

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What is an Anesthesiologist?

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Anesthesiologists are medical doctors just like your primary care physician and surgeon. They specialize in anesthesia care, pain management, and critical care medicine, and have the necessary knowledge to understand and treat the entire human body. Anesthesiologists have 12 to 14 years of education, including medical school, and 12,000 to 16,000 hours of clinical training.

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Anesthesiologists evaluate, monitor, and supervise patient care before, during, and after surgery, delivering anesthesia, leading the Anesthesia Care Team, and ensuring optimal patient safety.

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What types of anesthesia do anesthesiologists provide?

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Anesthesiologists are usually in charge of providing the following types of anesthesia care:

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• General anesthesia. This type of anesthesia is provided through an anesthesia mask or IV and makes you lose consciousness. It is used for major operations, such as a knee replacement or open-heart surgery.

• Monitored anesthesia or IV sedation. IV sedation causes you to feel relaxed and can result in various levels of consciousness. Depending on the procedure, the level of sedation may range from minimal (making you drowsy but able to talk) to deep (meaning you won’t remember the procedure). This type of anesthesia is often used for minimally invasive procedures such as colonoscopies. IV sedation is sometimes combined with local or regional anesthesia.

• Regional anesthesia. Pain medication to numb a large part of the body, such as from the waist down, is given through an injection or through a small tube called a catheter. You will be awake but unable to feel the area that is numbed. This type of anesthesia, including spinal blocks and epidurals, often is used during childbirth and for surgeries of the arm, leg, or abdomen.

• Local anesthetic. This is an injection that numbs a small area of the body where the procedure is being performed. You will be awake and alert but feel no pain. This is often used for procedures such as removing a mole, stitching a deep cut, or setting a broken bone.

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