Contact Us
If you'd like to share how your perioperative experience with anesthesia/anesthesiologists was at UTMB, please email
Dr. Marvin Cohen at mscohen@utmb.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do anesthesiologists do in the operating rooms?
Anesthesiologists are physicians who take care of the patient's medical condition while the surgeons perform surgery; keep a close watch on the patient's breathing, activity of the heart including heart rate, blood pressure, (and also the function of other organs such as the kidney, depending on the extent of the surgery); and last but not the least, ensure loss of consciousness (if general anesthesia is performed), and the control of pain and anxiety. Specialized anesthesiologists (pain specialists) perform procedures to alleviate/treat pain. Nurse anesthetists are specialized nurses trained in the administration of anesthesia who are supervised by physician anesthesiologists .
Anesthesiologists assess the medical condition and physical readiness of the patient for surgery in the Anesthesia PreoperativeScreening Clinic. Anesthesiologists may help manage the medical condition of and provide anesthesia to patients undergoing a CT scan, MRI, procedures in gastroenterology, cardiac electrophysiology and other areas remote from the operating room suite.
Anesthesiologists also perform an important role in the obstetric suite by providing analgesia and anesthesia to parturients. The Pain Clinic is run and staffed by anesthesiologists who help treat chronic pain conditions. Other anesthesiologists may be specialized to take care of critically ill patients in intensive care units. The Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at UTMB is the Chairman of Anesthesiology, Dr. Donald S. Prough.
What types of anesthesia are there?
There are 3 main types of anesthesia:
For more information, please see the site http:// www.asahq.org/patientEducation.htm. This site has excellent and up-to-date information on questions to consider before surgery, the safety of anesthesia, an "Anesthesia and Me Checklist", the training received by anesthesiologists, etc. Another useful site for information about pain control and anesthesia during childbirth is www.painfreebirthing.org