Anesthesiology in Sharjah

Who your anesthesiologist is

An anesthesiologist is a doctor. That single fact is worth stating, because a great many patients believe anesthesia is administered by a technician who "puts you to sleep" and leaves.

They are a specialist physician who assesses your fitness for surgery, chooses and delivers the anesthetic, and — the part that matters most — monitors and actively manages your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, fluid balance and consciousness continuously throughout the operation.

The surgeon operates. The anesthesiologist keeps you physiologically stable while it happens, and is the doctor responsible for your safety during that time.

They also manage your pain afterwards, provide labour epidurals, deliver sedation for endoscopy and imaging, and are central to resuscitation and intensive care.

Your pre-anesthetic assessment

You will meet an anesthesiologist before your operation. This is a proper medical consultation, not a formality, and what you say in it changes what happens to you.

They will ask about your medical conditions, every medication you take including supplements and herbal preparations, allergies, previous operations, and whether you or a family member has had a problem with anesthesia. They will examine you, with particular attention to your heart, lungs and airway, and arrange tests if needed.

Four things are worth volunteering without being asked, because patients routinely omit them:

• Loose teeth, crowns, caps or dental work. The airway is managed through your mouth, and dental damage is one of the more common minor complications. Knowing in advance prevents it.
• Snoring, or being told you stop breathing at night. Undiagnosed sleep apnea changes how you are managed during and after anesthesia.
• Any previous problem with anesthesia — severe nausea, slow waking, a family history of reactions.
• Recreational drug use, smoking including shisha, and alcohol. This is asked for safety reasons only. The information is confidential and it genuinely affects drug dosing.

Nothing here is a moral question. Every one of these changes a clinical decision.

Types of anesthesia

General anesthesia produces controlled unconsciousness. You are unaware, feel nothing, and your breathing and circulation are supported and monitored throughout.

Regional anesthesia numbs a whole region of the body while you remain awake or lightly sedated. Spinal and epidural anesthesia are used for caesarean section, many lower-limb and pelvic operations, and labour. Nerve blocks numb a specific limb or area and give excellent pain relief for hours afterwards.

Sedation produces a relaxed, drowsy state for procedures such as endoscopy or some dental work. Depth is titrated to the procedure, and you may remember little or nothing.

Local anesthesia numbs a small area only, usually administered by the surgeon or dentist.

Which is used depends on the operation, your medical conditions and, where there is a genuine choice, your preference. Ask what is planned for you and why. There is often more than one reasonable option.

Fasting before surgery — and why it is strict

You will be told not to eat or drink from a specified time. This is the instruction patients most often bend, usually with a small sip or a biscuit, believing it cannot matter.

It matters. Under anesthesia the reflexes that stop stomach contents entering the lungs are suppressed. Food or liquid in the stomach can be aspirated, and aspiration pneumonia is serious.

A breached fast means your operation is postponed. Not out of strictness — because proceeding would be unsafe. Follow the timings exactly as given.

Medications before surgery

Some medications continue as normal, some are stopped, and some need a specific plan.

Blood thinners require careful timing that balances bleeding risk against clot risk — never stop them on your own initiative. Diabetes medications, especially insulin, need an adjusted plan around fasting. Blood pressure medications are usually continued, but some classes are held on the morning of surgery. Herbal supplements are frequently stopped, as several affect bleeding and interact with anesthetic drugs.

Bring your actual medication boxes to the assessment rather than a list from memory.

During your operation

You will be monitored continuously — heart rhythm, oxygen levels, blood pressure, breathing, and depth of anesthesia. The anesthesiologist remains with you for the entire procedure, adjusting as your body responds.

Awareness under general anesthesia is extremely rare. It is the thing patients fear most, driven by film portrayals rather than evidence. Modern monitoring and drug delivery make it a genuinely uncommon event, and it is reasonable to ask your anesthesiologist about it if it is on your mind.

Waking up and afterwards

You wake in the recovery area, monitored by nursing staff, where you stay until you are stable and comfortable.

Common and expected: grogginess, a sore throat if a breathing tube was used, shivering, and nausea. Nausea and vomiting is the most common unpleasant after-effect. If you have had it before, say so at the assessment — preventive medication can be given before you wake rather than after you are already unwell.

Pain control is planned before you wake, often combining several approaches: nerve blocks, regular simple analgesia and stronger medication as needed. Tell the staff when pain is building rather than waiting until it is severe — it is easier to control before it peaks.

Going home after day surgery

If you have had a general anesthetic or sedation, for 24 hours afterwards do not drive, operate machinery, sign legal documents or make important decisions, and do not drink alcohol.

Judgement and coordination remain impaired for longer than you feel they are. You will need a responsible adult to take you home and, ideally, stay with you overnight.

Children and anesthesia

Children are anesthetised using age-appropriate techniques, doses and equipment. A parent is usually able to stay until the child is asleep.

Children generally tolerate anesthesia well. Preparation helps — explain honestly in simple terms rather than promising nothing will happen, since surprise is what frightens children most.

Labour epidurals

An epidural is the most effective form of pain relief in labour. It is sited by an anesthesiologist between contractions, takes effect within minutes, and can be topped up as labour progresses.

It is discussed antenatally with Gynecology and Obstetrics so the decision is made in advance rather than during labour.

Cost and insurance

Anesthesia fees are usually billed alongside the surgical procedure and follow the same insurance approval. Where a procedure requires pre-approval, anesthesia is normally included — confirm when arranging your surgery. Enquiries on 06 599 7777.