Below are the answers to some common questions about Anaesthesia.If you are still unsure about your procedure, please contact us.
Modern Anaesthesia is extremely complex, and our training and experience makes Australia one of the safest countries in the world to undergo Anaesthesia. In a consultation before your Anaesthetic, your Anaesthetist will discuss your relevant medical history and the type of Anaesthesia that is suited to your particular situation. This may involve a combination of local anaesthesia, sedation, nerve blocks, spinal or epidural anaesthesia or a general anaesthetic. Post operative pain management and recovery will also be explained. If you have any question or concerns, this is the time to discuss them with your Anaesthetist. The Anaesthetist will administer through a cannula inserted into a vein, usually in your hand or arm. With the assistance of a trained Anaesthetic Nurse, medication will be given to commence the Anaesthesia and your Anaesthetist will secure your airway with a variety of devices. You are then placed in a carefully controlled state of unconsciousness which is Anaesthesia. This will allow your surgery or procedure to proceed safely Your Anaesthetist will administer and prescribe pain relief for the recovery and post operative period. We stay with our patients throughout the entire operation or procedure, monitoring each breath and heartbeat, and carefully adjusting dosages and drugs to maintain safe Anaesthesia. Once your procedure is completed and your Anaesthesia is reversed, your Anaesthetist will transport you to the Recovery area and allow you to wake up safely in the care of the skilled Recovery nursing staff. Your Anaesthetist will usually check on you before you are discharged (either home or to the ward) to discuss any questions you may have. A prescription for pain relief and any other medication will be organised before discharge.
An Anaesthetist is a doctor who has completed full medical training and then gone on to complete at least another five years of specialist training enabling him or her to perform the technical aspects of anaesthesia and fully manage all elements of patient care including responding to medical complications.
Yes, the anaesthetic is a separate service to your surgery as a different specialist provides it, so it is billed independently of the surgeon. Depending on the type of health insurance you have the cost of the anaesthetic may be wholly covered by your insurance or may incur an additional (out-of-pocket) fee. You will be advised of this fee prior to your surgery. Please ask if you have any questions about fees.
Your anaesthetist stays with you the entire time. He or she does not leave you until you are beginning to wake up, at which point you will be moved to the recovery room and into the care of a special nurse. While your operation is taking place, the anaesthetist monitors all of your vital functions to make sure you are safe and asleep. They will treat any situation that arises and if required will administer a blood transfusion. They will also give you painkillers and drugs to treat nausea and vomiting so that you wake up as comfortable as possible.
