Anesthesia FAQ for patients

[HollywdAnesth]

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I was talking with some friends the other day and we got on the topic of questions that patients frequently ask us.

My most frequent is "Are you going to be in the room the whole time?" (I don't work with CRNAs)

another one is "Will you remember to give me the drug that wakes me up?"

What are some of yours?

 

[deleted171991]

My most frequent is "Are you going to be in the room the whole time?" (I don't work with CRNAs)

Same here.

Wakeup is probably the 2nd most frequent: "Will you make sure I wake up?"

Third is: "How soon after the surgery can I eat/drink/leave?"

The question I am never asked: " Would you recommend another surgeon?"

 

[seinfeld]

Same here.
The question I am never asked: " Would you recommend another surgeon?"

Was asked that once, I hesitated in answering, patient got more nervous. It was really hard to backpedal. Hope to never get that question again.

 

[caligas]

Same here.

Wakeup is probably the 2nd most frequent: "Will you make sure I wake up?"

Third is: "How soon after the surgery can I eat/drink/leave?"

The question I am never asked: " Would you recommend another surgeon?"

Its makes as much sense as asking the waiter if they would recommend another restaurant.

 

[Spinach Dip]

"Will you please leave all my teeth where you found them?"

"Can you make sure I dont throw up and aspirate anything?"

Both heard while I was shadowing.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Was asked that once, I hesitated in answering, patient got more nervous. It was really hard to backpedal. Hope to never get that question again.

I hear this not infrequently. My default answer is "all the surgeons here are fantastic;" if they are particularly good then I will be more specific. My general philosophy is that on the day of surgery, patients just want reassurance, not an actual change of surgeon.

Just like my other favorite question: "is the surgeon well-rested?" Always fun, especially when you know the surgeon was up all night doing a transplant.

 

[deleted171991]

Oh, yeah, I get the question whether I am well-rested, or I had my coffee/lunch/whatever.

And I get the question about teeth, occasionally, too. I always tell them that all I can promise is that I do my best, but they might be the lottery winner.

 

[deleted171991]

Its makes as much sense as asking the waiter if they would recommend another restaurant.

Not really. You see, the waiter is actually not working in multiple restaurants and does not see how the food is cooked. Plus s/he's not ethically-bound to protect your best interests.

I was actually asked once whether the surgeon was good. I said yes, and nothing more. It wasn't one I admired, but it wasn't a train wreck either. Now what would/should I do if my patient asked my opinion about a butcher, especially along the lines of "Would you let this surgeon operate on your mom?", that's a Hamletian question. I have had this dilemma since I saw an dingus behave carelessly with his patient's unstable neck back when I was a resident.

I work in an outpatient setting, so we have the luxury to refuse working with surgeons who are known to have screwed up royally and been sued in the past. None of us wants to be named in their next malpractice suit, and it's worth losing your job over avoiding one.