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Surgeries & Procedures

Anesthesiology

Anesthesiology provides complete pre-operative evaluations to assess patients prior to scheduled procedures. Anesthesiology provides facilities and patient care during and immediately following all surgical procedures; operative and non-operative procedures outside the operating room; post-operative pain management services; and a continuum of intensive care management in the post-operative period.

Acute Pain
This service is aimed toward the alleviation of post-operative pain, trauma pain and other types of acute pain unmanageable by traditional analgesic treatments, such as sickle cell crisis. Modalities include patient-controlled analgesia, epidural opiate delivery, local anesthetic analgesia and management of oral analgesics.

Main Operating Room
The Main Operating Room at Saint Alphonsus provides pre-anesthetic evaluation for inpatients and anesthesiology care for all surgical patients including cardiac, general, pediatric, neurology and orthopedic patients. Patient care of the highest order is tailored to patient disease and surgical requirements as indicated. The Main Operating Room Service also provides anesthesia care for non-operative procedures throughout the hospital.

Outpatient Surgery
The Meridian Health Plaza ambulatory surgery center was designed to provide a comfortable, state-of-the-art outpatient operating room setting in which patient/user friendliness is an important concern. Family members are encouraged to be present in the pre-operative and recovery areas and all efforts are made to minimize waiting periods for patients and their families. Anesthetic techniques that shorten recovery time yet provide appropriate post-operative pain control are used. All age groups, from infants to the elderly, are accommodated.

Pre-operative Evaluation
Pre-operative Evaluation is for patients anticipated to undergo anesthesia care in the near future and prepares them for anesthesia as well as for the hospitalization process.

The visit includes coordination of medical information from the primary care physician and surgeon. This includes an interview and counseling about the specific anesthesia by a member of the Department of Anesthesiology, ordering of blood tests, x-rays, ECGs, or specialty consultations not already obtained and follow-up of any such pending data to determine the suitability of the patient for the planned anesthetic.

Additionally, patients who are scheduled for inpatient admission following their procedure are directed to Patient Financial Services at the time of the pre-operative evaluation visit to assure satisfactory resolution of any outstanding financial issues regarding the upcoming hospitalization in advance of the procedure.

Patients should be sure to allow sufficient time for this comprehensive visit, particularly if laboratory or radiology procedures, specialty consultations or special financial service arrangements are necessary.

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