Anesthesiology is the specialty of medicine dedicated to the prevention and relief of pain during perioperative management, that is, before, during and after surgery. This branch of medicine is mainly involved in the context of a surgical operation. It also has an important role to play in the management of resuscitation of patients.

The anesthesiologist, a doctor who practices anesthesia, has an essential role to play in the patient’s care:

Before every surgical operation, whether scheduled or urgent, the physician discusses all important points with the patient, such as how the previous anesthesia went or whether the patient is taking medication regularly. Then, he selects the correct drugs for the operation to administer to the patient.

Depending on the type and conditions of the intervention and the patient’s condition and wishes, the anesthetist decides between 2 types of anesthesia:

• • General anesthesia: the patient is asleep throughout the operation using drugs administered intravenously. The patient feels no pain and is awake at the end of the intervention.
  • Locoregional anesthesia: involves putting only one part of the body, such as the leg or the arm, to sleep using drugs injected locally near the nerves. The patient remains awake throughout the surgery, limited to the anesthetized area, and feels no pain. Epidural analgesia, for example, is a loco-regional anesthesia used to reduce pain during childbirth.

During the surgery in the operating room, the anesthesiologist is assisted by a nurse anesthetist who helps him with the anesthetic management of the patient. Using a variety of devices, they continuously monitor and control every vital constant, such as the patient’s heart, circulatory and lung activity, throughout the procedure.

After surgery, the patient is often moved to the recovery area for a short time before returning to the room. The anesthetist continues to observe his condition and intervenes if necessary to relieve the patient (postoperative pain, nausea). In some cases it may be necessary to transfer the patient to intensive care if he requires longer post-operative monitoring.

The anesthesiologist also continues to see the patient after returning to the room and make sure of the confort of the patient.

Doctors from the anesthesiology department also perform other functions within various departments of the clinic Avicenne:

• • Maternity service: treatment of patients admitted for childbirth and in particular the fitting of an epidural.
  • Diagnostic endoscopy service: Management of patients admitted for digestive endoscopic examinations (gastroscopy, colonoscopy)
  • Intensive care or resuscitation service: the resuscitation of patients with acute vital distress and the care of patients during the night, weekends and holidays.

The anesthesiology department has a permanent doctor on duty 24 hours a day in the clinic to ensure patient care at all times.