Anesthesia Care
Because your safety is our primary concern at Palomar Health, we are proud to provide our patients with an all-physician anesthesia team. These members of Anesthesia Consultants of California Medical Group (ACCMG) are all highly-trained, Board Certified (or eligible) specialists.
These highly-trained doctors will take charge of your safety and comfort before, during and immediately after your procedure. They will stay with you throughout your surgery, keeping a close eye on your vital body functions while giving you medications to relax you, block pain and/or make you unconscious for your surgery.
You will meet your anesthesia doctor shortly before your surgery for an examination and to review your medical history, allergies, current medications, surgical history and previous experience with anesthesia.
The best anesthesia for you will depend on your past and current health, your test results and the type of surgery/procedure you are having. Your anesthesia doctor will discuss your options, including the benefits and possible risks or side effects.
Types of Anesthesia
General Anesthesia
You will be completely unconscious (deeply asleep), have no sensation of pain and be unaware of surgery.
Regional Anesthesia
An injection of medication will block the nerves to a part of your body depending on where your surgery will be. This may be done for surgical anesthesia and/or to treat after-surgery pain. Epidural or spinal blocks numb the abdomen and lower body. Other nerve blocks may be done to numb only certain nerves in the arms or legs. With regional anesthesia, IV medications are given to relax you and blur your memory. Sometimes regional anesthesia is combined with general anesthesia.
Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC)
IV medication is given to you to keep you relaxed and sleepy. Your surgeon will inject numbing medication in the area of surgery so you will not feel pain. Your memory will be blurred by the IV sedation so you may not remember the procedure.
Local Anesthesia
This is used for minor procedures. Numbing medicine is injected by the surgeon at the surgery site. An anesthesia doctor is usually not present for these procedures.
Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
You will be transferred to a recovery area after your procedure. Your anesthesiologist will ensure your well-being and then hand over your care to a highly-trained post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurse. This nurse will treat any discomfort that you might have and watch over your health while you are recovering from anesthesia.
We apologize, but for the privacy and safety of all patients, please limit visitation to the recovery area.
Your family and friends will be able to speak with the surgeon after the procedure and they can get periodic updates on your PACU status through our staff or via phone. They will be able to join you once you are assigned a room or ready for discharge. The PACU process usually takes between one and two hours, but this time may be extended.
