An anaesthetist is a medical doctor who has undergone specialist training like other specialist medical practitioners. I studied medicine at Sydney University and following my resident medical training i undertook training in the 5 year college of anaesthetists training programme before being admitted as a fellow of the Australian and New Zealand college of anaesthetists.

We provide anaesthesia care for patients undergoing a range of procedures and we provide anaesthesia care customised to the individual patient and the procedure being undertaken. Prior to your procedure i will discuss with you the type of anaesthesia that will be provided that best suits your needs with consideration of your general health and medical conditions and the specific procedure or surgery that you will be undergoing.

Anaesthesia care can range from sedation where you will be relaxed using medications in combination with analgesia or pain control medications to minimise pain associated with the procedure. The majority of patients will have no recall of the procedure following the period of sedation but recall is possible with this technique. Common procedures in which i use this technique include the insertion of pacemakers and defibrillators which involve the use of local anaesthetic and sedation and is often very well tolerated.

General anaesthesia is utilised for longer or more complex surgery and this involves the administration of anaesthetic medications which will render you unconscious for the duration of the surgery and will mean you are extremely unlikely to have any recall of the procedure.  Examples of cases in which i routinely use general anaesthesia include in atrial fibrillation ablation procedures, spinal surgical procedures and major heart operations such as coronary artery bypass grafting.

A third type of anaesthesia known as regional anaesthesia can be used in certain procedures to render the region of the body being operated on numb to the surgery. Examples of cases in which i utilise this technique include caesarean sections which are often performed under epidural or spinal regional anaesthesia.

During all three types of anaesthesia standard monitoring for safety is provided and vigilance is maintained for the duration of the procedure.

In addition to the anaesthesia for the procedure I will plan and provide post operative analgesia (pain relief) customised for you to help minimise your post operative pain and facilitate a rapid recovery.

Prior to your procedure i will discuss and explain the type of anaesthesia and pain relief that you will be given and answer questions you may have about the anaesthesia and pain management following surgery.

Further information on the above is available at the ANZCA and ASA websites.