Anesthesiology is the field of medicine dedicated to relieving pain before, during, and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, and pain medicine There are three types of anesthesia: local, regional, and general. The type of anesthesia that is chosen is based on the patient’s medical history, the planned operation or procedure, and the patient’s preferences. An anesthesiologist is a doctor (MD or DO) who practices anesthesia. Anesthesiologists are physicians specializing in perioperative care, developing anesthetic plans, and the administration of anesthetics.
Subspecialties of anesthesiology include:
· Pain management
· Sleep medicine
· Cardiothoracic anesthesiology
· Pediatric anesthesiology
· Neuroanesthesiology
· Regional anesthesiology/ambulatory anesthesiology