What do anesthesiologists do?

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An anesthesiologist is a doctor who gives a patient medication so they do not feel pain when they are undergoing surgery. However, these specialist physicians play a much wider role than just putting people to sleep for surgery. They are also involved in a range of other medical procedures, including carrying out assessments in critical care units, dealing with emergency situations, and giving advice about pain management.

The anesthesiologist provides pain relief before, during and after surgery, but they also fulfill a number of other important roles.

Pain relief in surgery

  1. Before an operation, a patient will meet with the anesthesiologist for an evaluation. The anesthesiologist will make a plan for the operation that takes into account the individual needs of the patient.
  2. On the day of the operation, the anesthesiologist supervises the administration of medication so that the patient will not experience pain.
  3. However, the anesthesiologist does not physically provide most Anesthetics. They supervise either a CRNA or Anesthesia Assistant while they provide the anesthetic. CRNAs often work independently without supervision as well.

The type of pain relief offered during surgery may be:

  • General anesthesia: The patient "goes to sleep" while the operation lasts.
  • Sedation: Intravenous drugs calm the patient or make them unaware of the procedure.
  • Regional anesthesia: Local anesthetic is injected near the nerves to numb the area that will be operated. These may be nerve blocks or spinal or epidural injections.

During the procedure, the surgeon carries out the surgical work, but the anesthesiologist will continue to be responsible for the medical management of the patient.

They monitor the patient's bodily functions, assess the best way to treat the vital organs, and provide a balance of medications suited to the individual's needs.

The functions they need to monitor include:

  • Heart rate and rhythm
     
  • Breathing
     
  • Blood pressure
     
  • Body temperature
     
  • Fluid balance

The anesthesiologist controls these vital measures and the patient's level of pain and unconsciousness throughout the operation.

After surgery

After the procedure, the anesthesiologist continues to be responsible for the patient's overall care. They will reverse the effects of the anesthesia and continue to evaluate the patient and keep them comfortable as they recover.

During this process, the anesthesiologist will direct other health workers, including specialist nurses.

Our esteemed journal PULACR is looking forward for the upcoming issue (Volume3: Issue 1) for the upcoming issue as all the authors are invited to submit their recent scientific work through manuscripts in the mode of Research/Case Reports/Case Studies/Reviews/Short Review/ Short Communications/Commentaries/Short Commentaries/Letters to Editor/ Image articles etc.,

Manuscripts can be uploaded online at Editorial Tracking System https://www.pulsus.com/submissions/anesthesiology-case-reports.html  or as email attachment to anesthesia@oajournal.org

Thanks and Regards,
Editorial Manager,
Anesthesiology Case Reports: Open-Access
Contact: +44-20-3608-4181