FAQ on Intraoperative Awareness

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FAQ on Intraoperative Awareness

                               
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Original from http://www.anesthesia.utoronto.ca/patients.htm
Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto Information For Patients

Questions and Answers What is an Anesthesiologist? What does an Anesthesiologist do? What is a General Anesthetic? What is a Regional Anesthetic? What is an Anesthesia Care Team?

What is an Anesthesiologist?
An anesthesiologists is a medical doctor who has completed an internship and 4 years of specialized education in anesthesia. In Canada, an anesthesiologist is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as a specialist, and has the designation Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC).
In Canada, anesthesiologists sometimes refer to themselves as anesthetists, but in other countries, the distinction is the level of education and training (medical degree and fellowship training) to accumulated greater experience and understanding and permit broader judgment.
A special group in Canada ‑mostly in rural areas‑ is Family Practice Anesthetists. These are skilled individuals who are qualified in Family Medicine and who have completed additional training in one of the university departments of anesthesia.

What does an Anesthesiologist do?
Anesthesiologists work in several settings. The most common is in the operating room during surgery; in addition, the anesthesiologist is responsible for patient evaluation before surgery and for providing care –especially in the immediate post-operative period‑ after surgery. An anesthetic can be either general (a drug-induced coma) or regional (part of the body is frozen, but the patient may remain awake).  

What is a General Anesthetic?
A general anesthetic is a deep sleep (sedation, coma) that is caused by the administration of anesthetic medications and is reversible, permitting the patient to ‘wake up’. In addition to inducing a deep sleep, the anesthesiologist must often administer additional specific medications that alter the ability of the muscles to move, or the ability of the body to respond to painful incisions. During a general anesthesia, the patient’s breathing and cardiac status remain paramount, and must often be controlled by the anesthesiologist. Although complicated, with knowledge and experience, anesthesia conducted to the standards that we demand is an extremely safe practice.

What is a Regional Anesthetic?
A regional anesthetic is when part of the body is ‘frozen’ by the special administration of a local anesthetic. The best-known example is epidural anesthesia for women during childbirth. There have been major advances in regional anesthesia in the last 2 decades: now, women can anticipate close 90% complete pain relief during labour –without delaying the birth‑ at the same time as being able to walk around the ward! In addition, anesthesiologists have pioneered the use of ultrasound techniques to increase the precision with which ‘regional’ anesthetics are administered, so that now patients can be assured of not needing to have a general anesthetic for surgery on their arm or hand.

What is an Anesthesia Care Team?
The anesthesia care team is a group of professionals dedicated to the care of patients before, during and after surgery. Led by the anesthesiologist, this team consists of nurses and respiratory therapists, some of whom have taken additional specialized training (e.g. special programs such as a Masters degree or the Anesthesia Assistant program), and all of whom work together to ensure excellent care that is safe, effective and efficient.