Department of Anesthesiology
Members of the Department of Anesthesiology join — and often lead — a variety of clinical, academic and research efforts.
Anesthesiology
Quality Care in Hospital Anesthesia and Pain Management
Anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists and nurse practitioners are key members of any care team at Lahey Clinic. These experts minimize pain in a variety of settings.
What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?
Anesthesia doctors ensure patients have as little pain as possible. This care isn’t limited to being free from pain during surgery or other procedure. We also help minimize any pain from a short-term or long-term health condition or disorder.
Lahey’s experienced anesthesiologists are trained to follow evidence-based practices when providing care. Our doctors are experts in surgical and non-surgical care across a wide variety of specialty areas:
- Cardiac anesthesia
- Chronic (long-term) pain conditions
- Intensive care, also known as critical care
- Interventional pain management
- Acute pain and regional anesthesia
- Transplant anesthesia
Safe Care from Board-Certified Anesthesiologists
Anesthesia doctors at Lahey are certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. To earn this elite certification, an anesthesiologist must show an advanced level of expertise as well as a strong commitment to providing safe, high-quality care.
Our Interventional Pain Management specialists evaluate and treat chronic pain disorders.
What To Expect with Anesthesia
To ensure your safety, the anesthesia doctor will meet with you before giving any anesthesia medicine. During this consultation, we’ll ask several questions about your health and your medical history. Be sure to mention any reactions to anesthesia or pain medicine you’ve had in the past.
If you need medication to help control a painful condition or for any medical procedure, rest assured you’re in good hands with the board-certified anesthesiologists at Lahey.
More About Anesthesiology
Types of Anesthesia
Anesthesia allows your body to temporarily lose sensation, or feeling. There are many types of anesthesia medications, and different ways for doctors to provide them:
- General anesthesia: Commonly used during surgery, these medicines make you completely unconscious and unable to feel pain.
- Monitored anesthesia care (MAC): A specialist closely watches your breathing and comfort while giving medicines that help you relax or become lightly asleep.
- Regional anesthesia: Medicine that blocks pain in a large area of your body — such as an arm, leg or the lower body — while you are awake, sedated or under general anesthesia.
- Local anesthesia: Medicine that numbs a small, specific spot on your body so you don’t feel pain during a minor procedure.
- Epidural anesthesia: Medicine is delivered into the space around your spinal nerves to numb the lower half of your body.
- Spinal anesthesia: A single injection of numbing medicine is delivered into the fluid around your spinal cord that quickly blocks pain in the lower part of your body.
Anesthesia Services
Many different medical situations require anesthesia care. You’ll likely need anesthesia at these times:
- During surgery and other procedures
- To treat or manage acute or chronic pain
- When having certain imaging tests, such as a CT, MRI or interventional radiology
- During cardiac electrophysiology
- During an endoscopic procedure
- While in the intensive care unit (ICU) for sedation, pain control, airway management or continuous monitoring
Our anesthesiologists treat thousands of patients each year at Lahey in Burlington and at the ambulatory surgery center at Lahey Medical Center, Peabody. This experience means our expert team is well prepared to give the best type of anesthesia for your situation and your personal health.
Additional Services
