What are the roles of anesthesiologists?

The role of an anesthesiologist is to apply general and regional anesthesia. In the case of general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist will administer a mixture of intravenous drugs and inhaled gases to render the patient unconscious and numb. During this process, the anesthesiologist is also responsible for keeping the breathing apparatus going. They may also have to apply anesthesia to calm the patient. In the case of regional anesthesia, they will only inject the anesthesia into a cluster of nerves to keep pain from that part of the body from reaching the brain. In addition to using the anesthesia, anesthesiologists are also responsible for discussing which anesthesia to use with the patient and to make sure that what they use will not have any unusual side effects.

For example, patients with Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease may experience memory or learning problems as a side effect. Other patients with sensitivity to heatstroke may experience hyperthermia. These are generally very rare but still must be considered.