Programs

Anesthesiology is a critical component of patient care at Duke. Working in tandem with surgeons or on an individual basis with patients, anesthesiologists relieve pain, ease healing, and promote patient comfort.

Anesthesiologists provide an array of services at locations throughout Duke, some of which include:

Preoperative Screening

Preoperative screening is designed exclusively to assess patients before surgery. You can expect measurement of your vital signs (heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and respiratory rate), an interview with a nurse clinician, and blood work. An EKG and/or a chest x-ray may also be done. We will perform additional tests based on your history, your physical condition, and the needs of the surgical procedure.

You will also get instructions about when to eat and what medicines to take before surgery. Please tell the staff if you take any type of diabetic or blood thinning medication, especially Coumadin or Plavix.

Anesthesia and surgery affect your entire system, so it is important for us to know as much about you as possible. During a preoperative visit, we will carefully evaluate you and will inquire about your recent medications. In addition, we will inform you about the procedures associated with your surgery, discuss the anesthetic choices, order appropriate laboratory tests, and prescribe medication for you, if needed, before your operation.

If you have not met one of our anesthesiologists during a preoperative interview, you will meet immediately before your surgery. At this time, we will review your entire medical chart for a clear understanding of your needs and medical condition.

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Acute Pain Services

Our 24-hour, seven-day-a-week acute pain service manages post-anesthetic pain needs, primarily to serve the needs of the patients who have nerve block catheters in place.

Many patients have intravenous patient-controlled anesthetic medication following their operations, which is managed by the nursing staff unless unusual medication requirements are discovered or anticipated. In this situation, the acute pain service would manage the patient-controlled analgesic medications as well.

If you have a nerve block catheter in place after surgery, or have a pain management problem, our team will see you twice during each day. A team of anesthesia physicians will remain on call overnight to supervise your pain care.

Please feel free to call Winston C. V. Parris, MD, chief of Pain Programs, at 919-684-6736, or e-mail Anesthesia Information at grich002@mc.duke.edu, with any questions.

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Sedations and Brief General Anesthetics

Duke anesthesiologists also perform sedations with brief periods of general anesthesia (unconsciousness) for multiple different kinds of interventions and investigations. These include (but are not limited to) cardiac electrophysiology procedures, pediatric examinations, radiological procedures, and gastroenterology procedures.

You will have an anesthesiology attending physician and a certified registered nurse anesthetist to perform these sedations and brief general anesthetics.

Please feel free to call Holly Muir, MD, at 919-668-6626, or e-mail Anesthesia Information at grich002@mc.duke.edu with any questions.

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Main Operating Room Services

We will ensure your comfort and well-being before, during, and after your surgical procedure. In the operating room, we will direct your anesthesia and manage vital functions, including heart rate, blood pressure, heart rhythm, body temperature, and breathing.

We will also take care of fluid and blood replacement, when necessary. Our expert clinicians will regulate the anesthesia so that you will be comfortable until your anesthetic care is completed.

Frequently, people requiring surgery may have other medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis, or heart problems. Because of your preoperative evaluation, we will be alert to these conditions and well-prepared to treat them during your surgery and immediately afterward.

We may also need to place extra monitoring catheters for your optimal care, depending on the type of surgery that you are having and your concurrent medical conditions.

Please feel free to contact Katherine Grichnik, MD, at 919-681-6893; Holly Muir, MD, at 919-668-6626; or Anesthesia Information at grich002@mc.duke.edu with any questions.

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Intensive Care Unit Services

Duke's anesthesiologists care for you on a personal basis during every operation. Much of the care rendered in the operating room is very similar to that given in an intensive care unit. Thus, many of our anesthesiologists extend this high level of care by supervising and directing intensive care units.

Our intensive care anesthesiologists are usually in charge of a 12-20 bed intensive care unit with nurses and physician assistants providing the direct care under their supervision. This team cares for you during the time that you need to recover from your surgery or trauma. An intensive care physician is specially trained to treat life-threatening illnesses in a compassionate and skillful manner.

If you have any questions about the intensive care units, please call Christopher Young, MD, at 919-681-4488, or e-mail Anesthesia Information at grich002@mc.duke.edu.

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Chronic Pain Services

We treat chronic pain as a multidisciplinary effort, in one convenient, easily accessible location -- the Duke Pain and Palliative Care Program. We treat many types of pain, including orthopaedic-related pain, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, sickle cell crisis, and other chronic painful conditions. Our anesthesiologists play a critical role in diagnosis and management of many kinds of chronic pain.

Your anesthesiology pain doctor will do a careful history and physical examination to assess your painful condition. Some therapies we perform include nerve blocks to numb painful areas and to deliver steroid therapy to an inflamed body part. Further, we can implant medication delivery catheters or do other procedures in the operating suite, which may alleviate chronic pain symptoms.

We collaborate with neurologists, psychiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and social workers to tackle chronic pain from all angles.

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Duke Aesthetic Center Services

Patients who need aesthetic procedures are able to come to the Aesthetics Center and go home on the same day. That's because we use carefully tailored anesthetics that allow you to be anesthetized for the procedure, yet recover consciousness quickly without any "hangover" or nausea.

The staff at the Duke Aesthetics Center is focused on your comfort and safety in this elegant environment. For more information regarding Aesthetic Center services please visit the Aesthetic Center Web site.

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The Duke University Hyperbaric Chamber

A small team of Duke anesthesiologists uses a hyperbaric chamber to care for patients. This is a place designed to increase the pressure of oxygen and air around a patient who may have suffered from poor wound healing or “the bends” from scuba diving.

These anesthesiologists are also a part of DAN -- The Divers Alert Network -- a non-profit organization established in 1981 to promote diver safety, affiliated with Duke University Medical Center. DAN information can be found on their Web site, www.diversalertnetwork.org.

If you have any questions about The Duke University Hyperbaric Center, please call Richard Moon, MD, at 919-681-5805, or e-mail grich002@mc.duke.edu.

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The Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center

The Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center is a joint project of the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University. The Center is directed by Jeffrey Taekman, MD, who is an assistant professor of anesthesiology and the assistant dean for educational technology within the School of Medicine. The lab is committed to advancing state-of-the-art medical education and educational technologies.

As a part of patient safety at a teaching hospital, the Department of Anesthesiology routinely uses a human simulator to teach residents and other trainees about anesthesia procedures and drug use before they are able to participate in patient care.

Information about The Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center can be found at http://simcenter.duhs.duke.edu.

If you have any questions about the Duke University Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center, please call Jeffrey Taekman at 919-660-0332 or email grich002@mc.duke.edu.

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Physicians

Physicians offering this service include:

Locations

This service is available at:

About This Page

Published: 09/12/2006
Updated: 05/15/2008
URL: http://www.dukehealth.org/Services/Anesthesiology/Programs/index