| The Department of Anesthesia is staffed by Board-Certified Anesthesiologists that work in Brookdale’s 12 operating rooms. Using the latest techniques in the administration of anesthesia, patients are ensured a pain free surgical procedure with less post operative pain.
Advanced Anesthesia Services
A patient at Brookdale can undergo knee reconstruction while chatting comfortably with his surgeon; he will be pain-free postoperatively, as well, thanks to continuous epidural anesthesia, a specialty of Brookdale's Anesthesiology Department.
A patient having major abdominal surgery done with fiberoptic scopes and instruments, through one-inch incisions, will have her vital signs monitored continuously by the anesthesiologist using the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Oxygenation is watched closely by pulse oximetry. Every breath is analyzed by infrared spectrometry for proper ventilation, and the correct dose of anesthesia. These advances make today's anesthesia statistically safer than the trip by car to the hospital.
The Anesthesia Department is able to echocardiographically watch a patient's heart during surgery, enabling critically ill cardiac patients to be anesthetized. We are able to collect a patient's red blood cells lost during surgery and give them back, preventing a blood transfusion. And we can monitor a patient's nervous system during delicate spinal cord surgery to make sure no damage is done. The department is also proud to offer an alternative to blood transfusions, Bloodless Surgery as part of its "Bloodless Surgery Program." Through state-of-the-art technology, red blood cells are removed from the surgical field and reinfused to the patient. This technology is available for use in all surgical procedures.
"Previously, patients pre-donated their own blood several weeks before surgery. Now, on the day of surgery, a patient ' s blood can be collected or sequestered directly in the operating suite prior to surgical incision," says Dr. Adel Abadir, Brookdale 's Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology. "This technique allows patients to avoid the inconvenience of traveling to the hospital unnecessarily. Furthermore, blood can be collected during the surgical procedure to minimize blood loss."
In procedures where there is limited or no blood loss, patients can be voluntarily sequestered, which means they can donate a unit of their own blood in case of emergency. The unit is later reinfused. Platelet gel sequestration is also available for neurosurgical and ear, nose and throat (ENT) procedures. If requested special methods are available for patients with varying religious beliefs.
Finally, the pain-relieving methods that anesthesiologists have learned in the OR can be used with remarkable effectiveness to treat the chronic pain of cancer or musculoskeletal disorders. Our full-service Pain Management Center offers many of these therapies. We also now offer Pediatric Pain Services.
As you can see, Brookdale's Department of Anesthesia is ready to meet the complex demands of today's medicine and is ready to evolve and contribute to 21st century medicine. |
