On call this past weekend, I was paged to the post-partum floor to evaluate a young woman who had vaginally delivered a healthy baby boy 16 hours ago. Her chief complaint? Intractable back pain.
[Background: She had delivered 2 babies aided by an epidural block in the past, and complained of back pain during this pregnancy, which […]

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This past Saturday I was covering obstetrics, better known as OB, attending to the needs of women in various stages of labor and delivery.
A woman in the throes of labor is a force to be reckoned with. In between contractions, she is an expectant mom, filled with worries and concerns, generally cooperative and conversant. During […]

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There is nothing more instantly gratifying for an anesthesia provider than relieving someone’s pain. This can be both the lure and the catch that reels in so many nurses and physicians that go into this specialty.
When patients are asleep for surgery, we deliver some of their analgesia proactively, in anticipation of the expected pain; and […]

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The power of our drugs never ceases to amaze me. Take muscle relaxants, for instance. By delivering as little as a teaspoon of a drug like rocuronium or vecuronium, we anesthesia providers can literally paralyze YOU for your surgery. This comes in pretty handy when your surgeon does not want you to move during your operation!

The […]

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Grand Rounds 4.08 is being hosted by Dr. Anonymous this week. Check it out - he’s hosting 2000 miles from his home. A grand job - don’t you just love the internet? Thanks, Doc, for including me in this week’s edition.
A grateful wink to RT 101 for the positive mention, and an acknowledgement of the collegial relationship that […]

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  The laparoscopic cholecystectomy (removing the gall bladder via 4 small abdominal holes)
  
If Sushruta could only see surgery today, his turban would probably be twirling. Even as recently as 20 years ago, who would have imagined having your gall bladder removed via 4 small sholes on your belly and being sent home later that day? Minimal pain? Minimal […]

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In my previous life, before I became an anesthetist, I had worked for years in critical care and PACU. I became quite familiar with the care of post-operative patients and the issues that surround operative care.
When I decided to start my family, I carefully read every book I could lay my hands on about a natural, well-planned and […]

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If there is one drug which truly enhances the arsenal of an anesthesia provider, that drug would be Propofol.
What is Propofol? Chemically described as diisopropylphenol, it is an emulsion; it is white, it contains soybean oil. It is a sedative-hypnotic agent that is used for the induction and maintenance of both general and sedation anesthesia.
Propofol […]

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Imagine going to work everyday and the only thing you can see on your co-workers’ faces is their eyes. Such is the parallel universe that is the Operating Room.
We all wear masks in the OR. It is for our protection, and yours. Surgery can be messy; “things” can splatter. And our germs are nasty; all of them. […]

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What really goes on in the Operating Room while you are asleep?
I get asked this question by friends and family all of the time. “Are they talking about me?” “Laughing at me?” “Commenting about my thighs?”
None of the above, really.
Conversations in the OR can range from sports to politics to gossip, or, no conversation at […]

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