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. All Anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand are Medical Specialist Doctors.
Commencing anaesthesia takes anywhere from ten minutes to an hour or more, to make sure the patient is safe and adequately anaesthetised before surgery begins. The anaesthetic modality may be any one or a mixture of general anaesthesia, sedation, local anaesthesia or "regional anaesthesia" - where individual nerves or parts of the body are anaesthetised specifically. The anaesthetist remains present during surgery to ensure the patient's stability and comfort.
Once the surgery is finished, patients are 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.
The information on this page is for adult patients and their families. For information about children's anaesthesia at Te Toka Tumai (Auckland), please refer to the Starship Child Health Anaesthesia page https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/public/anaesthesia/starship-paediatric-anaesthesia/
If you are requiring information regarding anaesthesia during pregnancy or childbirth, please consult the National Women's website for details specific to your procedure: Tauwhirotia te hapūtanga | Pregnancy, birth, and newborn care | Te Whatu Ora (adhb.govt.nz)
Anaesthesia Assessment
Anaesthetic Assessment Clinics are held at Greenlane Clinical Centre. Obstetric Anaesthesia Assessment Clinics are held at National Women's Hospital (Level 9, Auckland City Hospital, Grafton).
All patients attending the clinic will have an opportunity to talk to, and be assessed by an anaesthetist prior to having an anaesthetic.
We have endeavoured to make this process as user-friendly and useful as possible for our elective patients. To this end 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 surgery, allowing them to think about questions they wish to ask and have an opportunity to speak with a professional for as long as necessary.
Information about your operation (e.g. where to go on the day, preparation and so on) is available below in the "Preparation for your Anaesthetic" section.
Labour Pain Relief Information
Labour pain relief information sessions, including information on epidurals, are held at Auckland City Hospital. See below in the "Labour Pain Relief Education" section for further information and booking details.
Allergic reactions to anaesthetic drugs are a rare but potentially serious event. The purpose of the clinic is to investigate cases of suspected allergic reaction during anaesthesia, establish the likely cause and provide advice regarding future anaesthetics. This service is provided by the Anaesthesia and Perioperative Service and supported by the ADHB Immunology Service and Lab Plus. Referrals are generally made to the clinic by the anaesthetist responsible for the case. Referrals are also accepted from GPs, surgeons and other clinicians.
A patient information brochure about allergic reactions associated with anaesthesia is available at http://anzaag.com/Docs/PDF/Anaphylaxis%20Box/Patient%20Information%20Brochure%20May16.pdf