Anaesthesia is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This covers all elective surgery being done during the day, all emergency surgery and all analgesia requirements on the wards postoperatively.
Obstetric Pre-operative Anaesthetic Clinics - Tuesday 1.30pm to 4.00pm and Friday 8.30am to 1.00pm
A Labour and Delivery Epidural Information Lecture is held on the first Monday evening of every month.
Assessment
Anaesthetic Assessment Clinics are held at Greenlane Clinical Centre.
All patients will have an opportunity to talk to, and be assessed by, an anaesthetist prior to having an anaesthetic.
We have tried to make this process as user-friendly and useful as possible for our elective patients. To organise this we have set up an Anaesthetic Assessment Clinic that provides anaesthetic risk assessment and patient education for all our elective surgical patients. Patients can be seen well ahead of time, allowing them to think about questions they wish to ask, have an opportunity to speak with a professional for as long as necessary, and then think more and have another opportunity to speak to the actual anaesthetist before having their anaesthesia and surgery.
The Anaesthetic Process
Anaesthesia is essential for all surgery. Our job is to facilitate pain free surgery and to ensure the safety of the patient before, during and after the surgery.
Ensuring anaesthesia takes anywhere from 10 minutes to make sure the patient is safe and fully anaesthetised before surgery begins. The surgery then takes as long as necessary with anaesthesia continuing during this time, with the anaesthetist present, to ensure the patient's safety and comfort.
When surgery is finished, the anaesthetic process is reversed while the patient is still in the operating room. When the patient has stabilised they are then transferred to the Recovery Room (PACU) and further monitored to ensure they are remaining stable. Patients will usually spend an hour in the PACU area prior to being returned to the ward.
Epidural Information
Labour and Delivery Epidural information lectures are held at Auckland City Hospital. See below for further information and booking details.
The Anaesthetic Allergy Testing Clinic
The anaesthetic allergy testing clinic will assess people in whom there is a clinical suspicion of an allergic reaction to an agent administered in the peri-operative period.
All elective surgical patients will fill in a health questionnaire. This is then assessed by the anaesthetic clinic nurse who will allocate you, according to the anaesthetic assessment guidelines, to:
- a 15-minute preoperative anaesthetic assessment (PAA) or
- a 90-minute full anaesthetic assessment (FAA) - this can also be arranged by sending a referral letter to the relevant anaesthetic department.
You will be booked into the clinic and will receive a letter explaining when and where to attend.
You will be seen by a specialist anaesthetist, assessed for your suitability for various forms of anaesthesia, and given information appropriate for you and the type of surgery you are scheduled for. Please feel free to bring questions to this visit and then to bring the same questions and more to the hospital on the day of your surgery.
You will meet your anaesthetist prior to going into theatre. There will always be time to answer any questions you have about your anaesthetic, your safety and how we will keep you comfortable. They will assess you medically before taking on the responsibility of giving you an anaesthetic. They will then ensure you have understood the information they have given you and that they have answered all your questions before giving you the chosen anaesthetic.
The Anaesthetic Allergy Testing Clinic
The anaesthetic allergy testing clinic will assess people in whom there is a clinical suspicion of an allergic reaction to an agent administered in the peri-operative period. Referrals should be by a qualified medical practitioner or dentist. Referral Form
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Anaesthesia
Anaesthesia is essential for all surgery. Our job is to facilitate pain-free surgery and to ensure the safety of the patient before, during and after the surgery...
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General Anaesthesia
A mixture of medications are given to make you unconscious. Although often referred to as "sleep", this unconsciousness is very different from your nightly rejuvenating sleeping...
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Epidural Anaesthesia
After cleaning and application of a local anaesthetic, we slowly introduce an epidural needle (blunt ended) through the skin and ligament of the spine. We go slowly and check with a loss of resistance until we reach the epidural (on top the hard membrane) space. Local anaesthesia, opioids and a...
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Spinal Anaesthesia
After cleaning with an antiseptic solution and application of local anaesthetic a very fine and blunt needle is introduced into the fluid surrounding the nerves at the end of the spinal cord. A very small amount of local anaesthetics and or opioids are placed into this fluid, which then numbs...
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Labour and Delivery Epidural Education
The anaesthetists at Women's Health, Auckland City Hospital, would like to give you the opportunity to learn about epidurals and their role in pain relief and labour...
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Nerve Blocks
After cleaning with an aseptic solution, either a nerve stimulator or an ultrasound machine is used to locate the nerves supplying the area for surgery. A large dose of local anaesthetic is then placed near the nerve and the area will go numb. The surgery can occur without pain. There...
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Local Anaesthesia
Once the area is cleaned with antiseptic solution, local anaesthetic is introduced around the area to have surgery. Only small areas can be numbed up like this, the limb or area of the body outside of the local anaesthetic retains all its functions. There is still a large amount of...
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Sedation
After placing an intravenous line, we are able to supply medications that allow you to become more relaxed. The difference between sedation and a general anaesthetic is a matter of amount, every person being slightly different, so this form of anaesthesia needs to be combined with local infiltration as the...
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Elective Pre-operative Anaesthetic Assessment (PAA)
Most elective patients will have a comprehensive admission procedure as follows: Surgically indicated X-rays and investigations...
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Clinic Anaesthetists Assessment
Your appointment with the anaesthetist will include a review of your health questionnaire, a clinical examination and discussion about: the anaesthetic process possible anaesthetic options especially in regard to potential benefits and risks analgesic options and the immediate pre- and postoperative experience any concerns you may have about the anaesthetic...
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Full Anaesthetic Assessment (FAA)
If you are required to have a full anaesthetic assessment, you will have an appointment with an experienced anaesthetist who will make a plan that will ensure you are well prepared for surgery...
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"Regular" Medication Guidelines
Please feel free to check with the clinic nurse, anaesthetist and surgeon about your medications. Below are some general guidelines to help you...
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Risks of Anaesthesia
Common unwanted side effects Nausea and/or vomiting - this is often due to the surgical process and our medications. With financial constraints we may not use all of the techniques at our disposal for all patients...
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Table of Risks
Click on the following link for an overview of the risks of anaesthesia Tabular overview
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"Fasting" and "Nil by Mouth" Prior to Surgery
Water (or Clear Oral Fluids) may be taken until 2 hours before entering the operating room Clear Oral Fluids - fluid that you can read newsprint through - examples are black tea or coffee, cordial and commercially available "preoperative" drinks...
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Once the patient has left their ward or has been taken from the pre-operative area, no visitors are allowed until the patient has returned to the ward.
Special circumstances like children, mentally handicapped patients and translators are accommodated on an individual basis and allowed to accompany the patient into theatre until they are asleep.
A very special dispensation is allowed for one support person for women undergoing caesarean section under a regional block. They will be accomodated during the surgery to support the mother during the delivery of the baby. Should it become necessary to change the anaesthetic from a regional to a general anaesthetic, the support person will have to leave the operating room as all of the anaesthetists concentration will now need to be on the anaesthetised patient.
