Anesthesia brings about the loss of feeling and is used to prevent pain during a surgery or procedure. Analgesia means loss of pain and includes techniques to treat pain such as a block. For more information, read about our services.
Your eating and breathing passageways both originate at the back of the throat. While awake, your gag refluxes protect your airways from being exposed to food and stomach acid. However, when you are asleep and the gag reflex is inactive, there is a possibility you could regurgitate your stomach contents and they could enter your trachea or lungs. To avoid this complication, it is important to fast before surgery without becoming dehydrated prior to the day of your surgery/procedure.
While under general anesthesia, you are in a drug-induced unconsciousness, which is different than sleep. Therefore, you will not dream. However, if you are under a nerve block, epidural, spinal or local anesthetic, patients have reported having pleasant, dream-like experiences.
Every patient experiences anesthetic drugs a little differently. In rare cases, a patient will remember or “recall” parts of their experience when they were supposed to be “asleep.” In most cases this involves a fragment of a conversation they heard, or a sensation like movement or a touch. It is extremely rare that a patient recalls actual pain. Most cases of recall occur in people having emergency life-saving surgery. These patients cannot handle normal anesthetics as their vital functions are already stressed. First they receive resuscitation, then anesthesia. About 10-15% of survivors will “recall” some parts of their experience.
Yes. Your anesthesiologist will be with you throughout your surgery, from the operating room to the recovery room.
No. Patients usually respond to sedatives by going to sleep. Some will giggle or smile a little at first.
Trace amounts of anesthesia will remain in your body for 24 hours. Usually, patients do not feel the effects of the anesthesia during this period. Some report mild nausea. The way you feel after surgery will largely depend on the amount of postoperative pain you experience and how it is treated. You may also have a sore throat for up to 48 hours following surgery due to a breathing tube being placed in your throat after you fall asleep to protect airways and facilitate breathing. This discomfort should be mild and diminish within a day or so.
Many factors determine whether you will be affected by Post-Op Nausea and Vomiting (PONV). Almost all patients receive medication for preventing PONV. If you have experienced it in the past, be sure to let us know so we can determine the best possible treatment.
Most anesthetics used during surgery have been proven to be excreted into breast milk at extremely low rates, meaning breast milk should still be safe for your baby. However, just to be careful, we recommend freezing breast milk to be used for the first 24 hours following surgery.
You may contact our office with any billing questions you may have. For contact information, please view our Contact Us page.
AAMGI anesthesiologists practice independently of the facility where your surgical procedure is performed. Your facility bill does not include charges for our services. Since we are not employees of that facility, we bill separately for our services.
AAMGI attempts to contract with all major carriers. If you are unsure about your insurance coverage or have other questions, please contact our billing company at (800) 275-2152.
An anesthesiologist is with you the entire time you are in surgery. He or she monitors your vital signs and adjusts the anesthetic as needed. Your anesthesiologist may also monitor your fluid and blood volume. Your anesthesiologist may also administer IV fluids, blood, antibiotics and other necessary medications. Your anesthesiologist will accompany you to the recovery room or intensive care unit when surgery is done.
If at all possible, wear loose-fitting clothes that are easy to put on and will fit over bulky bandages or surgical dressings. Leave your jewelry and valuables at home.
