At BPW Medical we treat every patient as an individual and tailor your anesthetic and care to your health history, individual needs, and expectations. We do this by throughly evaluating your health history prior to your surgery which allows us to deliver the safest anesthetic possible.
All patients scheduled for surgery are screened by telephone or in-person interview prior to your procedure and your health information is reviewed by your PCP as well as one of our anesthesia professionals. After your information is reviewed, we will choose the safest method of anesthesia to ensure the best patient experience possible. We are often able to accommodate and tailor your anesthetic to your specific requests. Please inform us of any concerns or fears that you may have.
If you are having minor surgery the surgeon may inject local anesthetic themselves. If your procedure involves a more complicated anesthetic, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or an Anesthesiologist may provide your care. The anesthesia providers will perform numerous functions during your operation. They monitor your heart, breathing, level of consciousness, and vital signs as well as ensure you are as pain free as possible.
The type of anesthesia that you experience will depend on your health, surgery, and after consulting your surgeon. The patient will be given all the options and together the patient and the anesthesia provider will make an individualized plan.
We strictly adhere to the ASA Fasting Guidelines. 2 hours before your scheduled arrival time you may have clear liquids (water, Gatorade, apple juice, or black coffee without cream). 8 hours prior to your arrival time you may have a full meal. We often ask that you do not have anything to eat after midnight the night before.
The main types of anesthesia include:
General Anesthesia: administered by injection or through a breathing mask, or sometimes both. A breathing tube is gently inserted after you are asleep and removed as you are waking up and breathing adequately. Upon awakening from anesthesia, patients may experience disorientation and/or a mild sore throat. Not all general anesthetics require a breathing tube and we will discuss the alternatives with you during your pre-anesthetic evaluation. Often a soft device such as an LMA or oral airway can be used.
Monitored Anesthesia Care (Sedation): intravenous administration of mild sedatives to help a patient relax and relieve anxiety during procedures that do not require general anesthesia. This is often combined with regional anesthesia such as a nerve block or spinal anesthetic. During this procedure you may remember hearing some talking but will be comfortable and pain free. Often times patients feel as though they had a wonderful dream or a great night’s sleep.
Regional Anesthesia (Nerve block and spinal): injection of a local anesthetic around individual nerves to block pain and sensation to a specific area of the body. Regional anesthesia provides muscle relaxation as well as postoperative pain relief as its numbing effects can last for 12-48 hours depending on the type of local anesthetic used. Nerve blocks are often preferred over general anesthesia as this reduces the need for pain medications including narcotics after surgery. Also, the risk of postoperative nausea is reduced. Often you may also receive sedation to help you relax or sleep during surgery.
Will I have pain after surgery?
Our goal is to make you as comfortable and as pain free as possible. We will provide you with an individualized pain management plan which may include a combination of regional anesthesia (nerve block) with oral and IV medications. While we hope that all patients will not experience any pain, that is not always possible due to the nature of the operation. If at any time your pain is not within your expectations, we ask that you contact us and we will work with you to alleviate it.
Although uncommon, there are possible side effects that you may experience after your anesthesia: Click here to learn about side effects