A QUESTION ABOUT REOPENING SURGERY. IS IT SAFE FOR PATIENTS?
An important question for many Americans is, “Is it safe for me to have surgery during…
Guides
Plain-English answers about anesthesia for patients, and practical writing for anesthesia professionals.
For Patients
13 guides
ADVICE FOR LAYPEOPLE: HOW TO MAKE YOUR ANESTHETIC SAFER
Patients, what can you do to assure you have safe anesthesia care? This is what the…
ANESTHESIA FACTS FOR NON-MEDICAL PEOPLE: ANESTHESIA MEDICATIONS
These are the common anesthesia medications used in the United States today: INTRAVENOUS MEDICATIONS: 1. PROPOFOL. …
ANESTHETIC RISKS IN CHILDREN
What are the risks of pediatric anesthesia? What should you do if your 2-year-old son or…
ARE SURGERY CENTERS SAFE?
Are surgery centers safe? This column is in response the Kaiser Health News story “How a…
HANGOVER AFTER ANESTHESIA
Prior to surgery your patient tells you, “I always have a hangover after general anesthesia. I…
HEART ATTACK AFTER SURGERY
You’re a 55-year-old man with hypertension. How likely is it you will die within the next…
HOW DO ANESTHETICS WORK?
I commonly hear two questions from my patients: “How do anesthetics work?” and “How do the…
HOW SAFE IS ANESTHESIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY?
Deep down, every surgical patient has the same worry: How safe is anesthesia and surgery? Methods…
MODERN ANESTHESIA
Point/Counterpoint: Modern anesthesia techniques are radically different from the methods of twenty years ago. True or…
PROPOFOL AND MICHAEL JACKSON … IS PROPOFOL SAFE?
Michael Jackson’s death begs the question: Is propofol safe? Propofol is the most commonly used intravenous…
WILL YOU BE NAUSEATED AFTER GENERAL ANESTHESIA?
Postoperative nausea and vomiting is not infrequent. One of the most common fears patients have before…
WILL YOU HAVE A BREATHING TUBE DURING YOUR SURGERY?
One of the most common questions I hear from patients immediately prior to their surgical anesthetic…
For Anesthesiologists
13 guides
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST
One of my readers asked me to describe a day in the life of an anesthesiologist,…
A DIFFICULT ANESTHETIC
What is a difficult anesthetic? Most people have no real idea what anesthesiologists do. Many imagine…
ADVICE FOR PASSING ANESTHESIA ORAL BOARD EXAMS
You’re an anesthesiologist nearing completion of your residency or fellowship. You’ve passed the written exam from…
AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST’S INCOME
How much money does an anesthesiologist make? Let me begin by offering two anecdotes: I was…
AVOIDING AIRWAY LAWSUITS
Every anesthesiologist wants to avoid a bad outcome for his or her patients, and every anesthesiologist wants…
BECOMING AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST
You’ve found The Anesthesia Consultant website, so you have some interest in anesthesiology. Perhaps you're thinking…
DO ANESTHESIOLOGISTS HAVE THE HIGHEST MALPRACTICE INSURANCE RATES?
How high are anesthesiologist malpractice rates? Do anesthesiologists have the highest malpractice insurance rates? In a…
IS ANESTHESIA 99% BOREDOM AND 1% PANIC?
An oft-repeated medical adage states: “Anesthesia is 99% boredom and 1% panic.” When you have surgery, do…
IS ANESTHESIA A CUSHY SPECIALTY?
Samuel Shem’s classic novel/satire of medicine, The House of God (published in 1978, more than two…
OPERATING ROOM BULLYING
Operating room bullying detracts from patient care. You’re a freshly trained, recently hired anesthesiologist at a…
PRIVATE PRACTICE ANESTHESIOLOGY
A question I’m frequently asked is: What is the future of private practice anesthesiology? First off,…
ROBOT ANESTHESIA
Artificial intelligence in medicine is coming. Will robots replace anesthesiologists? I am the Medical Director of…
SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST? TEN TRAITS OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Anesthesiologists aren’t well known to most patients, but these specialty doctors have certain traits in common.…
History
3 guides
OUTSTANDING ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
What are the qualities of outstanding anesthesiologists? I’ve been practicing anesthesia since the mid 1980s. I’ve…
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ANESTHESIOLOGIST OF THE 20TH CENTURY
The most significant anesthesiologist of the 20th century died just weeks ago, on December 21, 2017.…
TOP DISCOVERIES IN ANESTHESIA HISTORY
What were the top discoveries in anesthesia history? Humans have inhabited the Earth for 200,000 years,…