When would I need anesthesia?
Miscellaneous
Longtime St. Joseph’s/Candler anesthesiologist explains the crucial role of anesthesia in surgery
It’s the day of your procedure. Your goal is to feel better, whether it’s a dental restoration, knee replacement or open heart surgery. It would also be nice not to feel any pain.
Enter the anesthesiologist. This is a licensed medical doctor with extra training in delivering anesthesia, the medicine given to relieve pain and feeling during surgery.
Longtime St. Joseph’s/Candler Anesthesiologist Dr. Bill Fuqua explains anesthesia as a way to safely escort you through your surgery. There’s no pain, no memory while your surgeon operates.
But most people are fearful of anesthesia, Dr. Fuqua says. That’s why – besides keeping the patient safely asleep – his most important job is relating trust to the patient.
“I’ve got a limited amount of time I can do that,” Dr. Fuqua says. “The surgeon knows the patient and is acquainted with the patient before the surgery environment. I open the door, introduce myself, and they have to trust me to keep them alive or their child alive.”
Dr. Fuqua and other anesthesiologists will take what time they do have to walk patients and/or parents through the process. He will go into detail about the type of anesthesia used, address possible side effects and ease any other fears.
Types of anesthesia
There are different types of anesthesia. The type you get will depend on your surgery and overall health. Let’s take a look at the three most common types:
- General anesthesia is medicine used to make you sleep during surgery. There are multiple ways to do this, Dr. Fuqua explains. Most commonly, the medicine is given through a mask airway or an intubation tube. An IV line also may be used.
- Regional anesthesia is used to numb only a part of the body that will have surgery. Also referred to as a block, this helps control pain at the surgery site. The patient is not asleep during the procedure, but regional or block anesthesia helps the patient feel less pain following surgery.
- Local anesthesia is given for a short time to stop pain in just one part of the body. This is common in minor surgeries and procedures.
More about your anesthesiologist
The anesthesiologist does a lot more than just administer medication.
“It is our job to keep patients alive while the surgeon is operating,” Dr. Fuqua says.
During surgery, your anesthesiologist will remain in the operating room with your surgeon. He or she will monitor your health very closely. This is one of the most important roles an anesthesiologist plays during your surgery. They monitor and treat any changes to your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and other vital signs while the surgeon operates.
They also are familiar with your medical history and monitor any pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, allergies or asthma.
Side effects of anesthesia
Anesthesiologists also can diagnose and treat any medical problems that might happen during or right after surgery. Anesthesia affects people differently, Dr. Fuqua says.
“Some of the drugs may make patients feel nauseated. We treat that,” he says. “Some people wake up agitated. Some people wake up slowly.”
“I think a lot of times that’s God’s way of protecting you. It’s like when you are in a bad car wreck and don’t remember anything; it’s kind of the same thing. It’s a protective mechanism.”
At both St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital, we have dedicated Post-Anesthesia Care Units (PACU) for surgery patients to recover in. At our Pooler Campus Day Surgery Center, we also have a designated area for these patients. The PACU team is specialty trained to monitor vital signs, access pain and assist the patient with their recovery.