Key Takeaways
- Recovery outcomes like pain, nausea, and cognitive clarity are directly shaped by the decisions made by the anesthesiologist during the intraoperative phase.
- Recovery experiences improve when a proactive, multimodal approach is used instead of a reactive, opioid-dependent one for managing pain and nausea.
- To get an idea of the kind of care to expect when you wake up, ask the right questions to your anesthesiologist before surgery.
Most patients think that the job of an anesthesiologist is just to put them to sleep. A fixed image in their heads. But the truth is that your anesthesiologist will monitor you while the surgeon performs the operation. Also, when the surgery is over, anesthesiologists are responsible for reversing the anesthesia and handing off patients to the recovery team. Though the job gets done, this is an incomplete picture.
The results of each and every decision made in the operating theatre become apparent in the recovery room. Anesthesiologists who are aware of this see recovery planning as a part of their intraoperative responsibility, and not someone else’s problem.
The Outcomes That Most People Don’t Link To An Anesthesiologist
Approximately 30% of surgical patients experience nausea and vomiting after their procedure is complete. The number is even higher in high-risk populations. Spending the first hours of recovery vomiting is really miserable for someone who is already feeling vulnerable after surgery.
Anesthesia delays return to solid food and physical activity. In certain cases, anesthesia extends hospital stays beyond the duration that the procedure itself actually requires. But many patients have no idea that these outcomes are largely preventable.
When proactive, multimodal antiemetic prophylaxis is administered during the case instead of as a response to already-appearing symptoms, then incidence rates dramatically reduce. In other words, anesthesiologists must see nausea prevention as a standard part of every case plan rather than taking it as something to fix if it shows up. Such anesthesiologists are able to deliver significantly better quality of care.
Dr. Andrew Hummel always considers antiemetic prophylaxis during planning for every case. He takes into account the risk factors of individual patients rather than following a standard protocol as the default. Proactively managed patients feel more comfortable and functional, which becomes clearly visible in the recovery rooms. They also resume their normal activities sooner than the reactively managed patients.
Pain That Follows You Out of the Operating Room
Post-operative pain experienced by patients is directly determined by intraoperative decisions. The anesthesiologist’s decision, both before and during the surgery, can heavily influence the pain’s intensity, timing, duration, and response to treatment.
In the past, anesthesiologists relied on high doses of opioids during surgery. Patients were prescribed opioids upon discharge as well. But high doses of opioids can cause issues like sedation, constipation, nausea, and respiratory depression. This delays recovery.
Opioids also carry the risk of dependence for vulnerable patients. But they still remain the default option in settings where anesthesiologists have not yet started working with a more sophisticated pain management model.
Dr. Andrew Hummel, an anesthesiologist, takes an entirely different approach. He includes multimodal, opioid-sparing pain management techniques in every case plan. He layers regional anesthesia techniques, non-opioid analgesics, and Iovera° cryoneurolysis together. Patients wake up from their surgery feeling much better, with less pain, and without significant reliance on opioids.
How Does Regional Anesthesia Influence Recovery
Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques have transformed the post-operative recovery experience for patients. For example, a peripheral nerve block can deliver targeted analgesia for shoulder or knee procedures, opioid-free, with the effects lasting 8 to 24 hours. So patients naturally wake up feeling very comfortable. They feel well enough to get their physiotherapy started earlier. They also start eating and drinking sooner. Moreover, they feel more cognitively clear during recovery as they are able to avoid the systemic sedative load created by high-dose opioids.
Ultrasound-guided nerve block is the standard practice for Dr. Andrew Hummel in appropriate cases. The placement of nerve blocks also becomes more accurate and safer compared to older landmark-based techniques due to the real-time visualization involved. Patients don’t just feel more comfortable. Their recovery experience becomes more predictable too.
The Recovery Room Can Be An Honest Report Card
An operating room is the place where the skills of an anesthesiologist are applied. But it is the recovery room where the skills produce visible results for a patient.
Anesthesiologists like Dr. Andrew Hummel plan for post-operative pain and nausea very carefully. They deploy regional anesthesia techniques in appropriate cases, and combine medications to improve the quality of recovery. So such anesthesiologists are able to provide a measurably different recovery room experience compared to those who follow a standard protocol and manage problems reactively.
What Patients Can Actually Ask About
Most patients are not aware that they can ask their anesthesiologist about their post-operative care before surgery. The pre-operative appointment may feel like it’s meant for a safety check. So most patients expect to answer questions rather than ask.
Asking is always worth the while.
Start by asking specifically about the antiemetic plan. Ask if regional anesthesia is appropriate for your procedure. You should also ask how your post-operative pain will be managed, and whether it will involve opioids or alternatives. Such questions will invite your anesthesiologist to share the plan. Moreover, by looking at the quality of answers, you will also realize something about the level of thinking put into making your care plan.
Dr. Hummel’s patients consistently describe the pre-operative conversations with him as substantive rather than procedural. He not only explains the care plan, but also the reasoning behind it. Moreover, he will also give you a picture of what to expect during the recovery days. So patients actually start to understand their recovery rather than simply enduring it.