Anesthesiology is the practice of blocking pain, discomfort or distress during surgery or an obstetric or diagnostic procedure. An anesthesiologist is specially trained to plan, monitor and administer pain relief before and during an operation, and assess the patient’s condition and recovery afterwards. This specialist consults with patients for pain management, such as cancer patients, and those with critical illnesses or severe injuries.
Anesthesiology is critical in every surgical procedure, but especially in complex surgeries such as open heart. The heart may need to be completely stopped, and this is the anesthesiologist’s job. He or she will often have a particular set of nurses and technicians who work with only that doctor during the surgery, and monitor the patient’s vital statistics.