After Surgery
Once your surgery is complete, you will be transported to a recovery area called the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Your anesthetic course will be discussed thoroughly with a PACU nurse. This nurse will monitor you closely as your pain and recovery are managed with medications.
Your anesthesia care team will follow up regularly and intervene when necessary. Ultimately, your surgeon will make the final decision on your disposition and discuss with you the next steps regarding your care or discharge plan.
minimizing your pain
Managing your pain requires an approach that is multifaceted and tailored to your specific needs. While opioids are an important and effective class of medications for most patients, maximizing alternative routes of analgesia including non-opioid medications is central to our approach.
These improve pain management because of their different mechanisms of action, and they decrease the likelihood of opioid-related side-effects. Nerve block procedures are an important opioid-sparing technique that can be used for many different types of surgeries.
Nerve Block Procedure
Your anesthesiologist and perioperative nurse will prepare for the procedure with a unique checklist. Usually, some form of sedation will be provided to maximize your comfort. An ultrasound machine will be used to visualize the anatomical structures and assist with real-time placement of the needle and spread of the local anesthetic.