Elevate Your Understanding
(FAQ)

On any given day, each anesthesiologist will be assigned to work with a certain surgeon or at a certain location. Due to the complex and changing nature of surgical scheduling, this assignment may need to change at any time.

Southern Oregon Anesthesia prides itself on fostering exceptional relationships with all surgeons and facilities so that any necessary staffing changes can be made without compromising care in any way.

Unfortunately, we are unable to honor requests for certain anesthesiologists, but we trust that you will be in good hands with whichever of us provides your care.

You will meet your anesthesiologist on the day of your procedure with enough time to ask any questions and make sure you are comfortable with the answers prior to proceeding.

Anesthesiologists are the physicians best qualified to evaluate your readiness for anesthesia. We are your advocates in creating the best plan to make your procedure as safe and comfortable as possible.

Our medical training provides a strong background in the principles of internal medicine and critical care in addition to the impacts of anesthesia. We appreciate your other doctors doing their part to keep you healthy and strong so that we can do our part to create a unique anesthesia plan for you.

It is important that we understand your medical history and current state of health fully. For that reason, we will ask for:

• The doses and schedule of all medications, vitamins, and supplements
• A complete list of past procedures done under anesthesia
• Information cards on any implanted devices: pacemakers, defibrillators, pain pumps, etc.

All anesthesia carries a risk of vomiting despite our best efforts to prevent it. Fasting on the day of your procedure lowers the risk of vomiting up food particulate, which could cause a life-threatening pneumonia if it occurs. 

There are two main categories of anesthesia: general and regional. General anesthesia means being completely unconscious and unaware. Often this requires support of breathing, like a tube in your windpipe, but not always. General anesthesia requires medications to be in your bloodstream. These medications are usually given in an IV or through breathing anesthesia gases.

Regional anesthesia, on the other hand, works by numbing the surgical area using injections of local anesthesia around specific nerves. This allows surgery to be done without medications in your bloodstream. Many patients also receive IV sedation to sleep gently through the procedure.

Deciding which anesthesia plan is right for you involves many factors including your physical condition, the scheduled procedure, and the preferences of your physicians. You will have an opportunity to discuss the plan and have your questions answered prior to any interventions.

Anesthesiologists are medical and osteopathic physicians with at least twelve years of education after high school: a four-year college degree followed by a four-year medical or osteopathic degree (just like your other doctors) and another four-year residency in the specialty of anesthesiology. 

We are qualified to care for the complete spectrum of patient conditions and surgical procedures — from infants to the elderly, from minor outpatient procedures to major heart, lung, and brain surgeries.

Check out our patient resources page for more information.