Anesthesia Safety – Kentucky

The anesthesiologists at Kentucky Anesthesia Group are committed to providing the best care throughout every procedure.When it comes to anesthesia safety, Kentucky Anesthesia Group is committed to providing the best care throughout every procedure. From anesthesia for minor procedures to complex robotic assisted surgeries, from pediatrics to high acuity adults, Kentucky Anesthesia Group is the best.  

Before the patient goes into surgery, the Kentucky Anesthesia Group anesthesiologist will complete a preoperative evaluation.  A common misconception is that an anesthesiologist is the doctor who puts patients to sleep before surgery.  It’s true that this is part of the job, but it’s only a small part.  An anesthesiologist is actually a perioperative physician, responsible for patient care throughout the surgical experience: before, during and after surgery.  

Anesthesia helps control pain during surgery by using a medicine called anesthetic.  It helps to control breathing, blood pressure, blood flow and heart rate and rhythm.  The type of anesthesia used depends on the type of surgery/procedure, length of the procedure and patient’s health status.  Some anesthesia can result in less pain after surgery or a faster recovery.  Your Kentucky Anesthesia Group anesthesiologist will discuss your type of anesthesia prior to surgery.

There are the following types of anesthesia:

  • Local anesthesia | only the surgical area will be anesthetized.  Patient is awake during surgery.
  • Regional anesthesia | a larger part of the body is anesthetized.  Epidurals and spinals are forms of regional anesthesia that involve precise injections of anesthesia to appropriate areas of the back.  Regional anesthesia for extremity surgery involves injecting anesthetics into an area where there is a concentration of nerves for that particular extremity in order to block pain.  This allows the patient to be awake for surgery and provides pain relief for a period of time after surgery.
  • General anesthesia | IV medications and anesthetic gases induce temporary unconsciousness so that the patient will not feel pain during the procedure.  Operating rooms are equipped with the latest technology to monitor a patient’s level of consciousness in order to determine the amount of medication or anesthetic needed to meet the needs of each individual patient.
  • Sedation anesthesia | pain relievers and sedatives are given to minimize pain and discomfort during a procedure.  The patient is able to communicate during the procedure, but there’s often little memory of the procedure afterwards.

After surgery, patients are taken for post anesthesia care.  The anesthesiologist and the physician will continue to monitor the patient’s condition and the effects of anesthesia.  They will also take steps to ensure that any pain resulting from surgery is minimized.

Some possible side effects of anesthesia are:

  •  Nausea
  • Hypothermia (low body temperature)
  • Impaired coordination or judgement after surgery

Postoperative pain is not just annoying or unpleasant.  If not treated correctly, it can sometimes become chronic pain.  Kentucky Anesthesia Group will develop the best overall care plan for you.  Post-surgical pain is inevitable, but there are means to mitigate and manage the pain to make it less debilitating and reduce the dependence on medication.  We will discuss appropriate post-surgery anesthesia pain management with the patient.  Our certified anesthesiologists will help the patient manage pain using a variety of medications and non-medication techniques.

When it comes to anesthesia safety, Kentucky Anesthesia Group is committed to providing the best care throughout every procedure. For more information, contact our office at (859) 268-1030.