Associated Anesthesiologists of Reno provides obstetrical anesthesia coverage at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center. A staff anesthesiologist is on-site 24 hours a day to provide anesthesia care for laboring patients. The primary responsibility of the obstetric anesthesiologist is to assist the laboring patient. ASANR provides pain management for women in labor and for cesarean section. The obstetrical anesthesiologist primarily provides pain relief for laboring women by placing an epidural catheter. An epidural catheter is a small tube (approximately the size of a small fishing line) which is inserted in the low back area with the use of a needle. The procedure is usually easily performed and takes 5-10 minutes. Once established, the epidural catheter can be injected with local anesthetics (similar to that used by a dentist) to provide pain relief. Should a laboring patient require a cesarean section, the epidural can often be used to provide surgical anesthesia as well. Epidural anesthesia is a safe and effective means of providing pain relief for women in labor. Risks of epidural catheter placement are usually minimal and your anesthesiologist will be happy to detail these risks for you. Epidural anesthesia is also generally safe for the unborn baby.
Another method of providing surgical anesthesia for cesarean is the use of subarachnoid block, or spinal anesthesia. This is generally a quick procedure that blocks all surgical pain. Both spinal and epidural anesthesia allow the patient to remain awake and enjoy the newborn baby. A "significant other" may be in the operating room when a spinal or epidural is used.
If an emergency cesarean section is required, the anesthesiologist may need to employ general anesthesia, where the patient is completely asleep. During general anesthesia, the patient is given medicines through an intravenous line to produce complete unconsciousness. Once the patient is asleep, the baby is delivered through an abdominal incision. If it is important to get the baby out in a hurry, because of maternal bleeding or infant distress, a general anesthetic may be the best choice.
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