ANAESTHETIST

Anesthesiology is defined by the American Society of Anesthesiologists as:

“The practice of medicine dedicated to the relief of pain and total care of the surgical patient before, during and after surgery.”

Anesthesiologists are involved in around 90 percent of the more than 40 million surgical procedures that are carried out under anesthetic each year in the United States.

This involvement may include direct care of the patient or supervision of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) or Anesthesia Assistants, who also play a key role in the field.

What do anesthesiologists do? The anesthesiologist provides pain relief before, during and after surgery, but they also fulfill a number of other important roles.

Pain relief in surgery

• Before an operation, a patient will meet with the anesthesiologist for an evaluation. The anesthesiologist will make a plan for the operation that takes into account the individual needs of the patient.
• On the day of the operation, the anesthesiologist supervises the administration of medication so that the patient will not experience pain.
• However, the anesthesiologist does not physically provide most anesthetics. They supervise either a CRNA or Anesthesia Assistant while they provide the anesthetic. CRNAs often work independently without supervision as well.