Cardiovascular Anesthesia

Cardiovascular anesthesia provides anesthesia for a wide variety of cardiothoracic and vascular procedures. These include anesthesia for pediatric and adult cardiac operations, cardiac transplantation, lung resections, and anesthetic management of ventricular-assist device insertion and total artificial heart implantation. Transesophageal echocardiography, the latest tool to monitor ischemia during anesthesia and an aid in some valve repair operations, is employed. In addition, EEG monitoring is utilized on carotic endarterectomies and procedures requiring circulatory arrest. Both thoracic and lumbar epidurals are used to provide postoperative analgesia with epidural narcotics for thoracic, abdominal, and peripheral vascular procedures.

Neuroanesthesia and Neurophysiologic Monitoring Services

The neuroanesthesia service consists of anesthesiologists with subspecialty interest in neurologic diseases. Complete peri-operative anesthesia care is provided for adult and pediatric patients who require diagnostic and surgical procedures for intracranial and spinal pathology. Patient care is enriched by a stimulating academic environment in which scientists and clinicians perform clinical and basic research in brain protection, brain and spinal cord monitoring, and physiologic changes associated with altered states of consciousness (e.g., anesthesia). The intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring service provides advanced intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring for central and neurogenic-evoked response. Modern technologies, such as digital EEG, somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials, brainstem auditory-evoked responses, transcranial doppler, and 20 MHz doppler, are applied to neurosurgical, orthopaedic, and cardiovascular surgical procedures in which neural structures are at risk.

Pediatric Anesthesia

This service is responsible for the care of newborns, infants, and children undergoing surgery. The service has a particular interest in eliminating postoperative pain in all ages using state-of-the-art techniques with epidural, caudal, regional, and local anesthesia and patient-controlled analgesia. A pain care team of anesthesiologists is available to provide analgesia throughout the child's hospital stay.

Perioperative Anesthesia Trauma Services

The perioperative anesthesia trauma service ensures appropriate anesthesia coverage for trauma admissions in the emergency department, operating rooms, and critical care unit. Links:

• Emergency Medicine
• Critical Care Medicine

Surgical and Obstetric Anesthesia

This section provides a wide range of anesthetic techniques emphasizing regional anesthesia to prevent pain during and after surgery. This service is available for surgical, obstetric, and trauma patients, and is intended to speed recovery and minimize postoperative complications.