ENT Facial Surgery Center
Welcome to the ENT Facial Surgery Center. This specialty specific center caters to the needs of the otolaryngologists and aesthetic plastic surgeons associated with Central California ENT Medical Group and the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Pavilion. Our unique atmosphere is designed for patient comfort and quality care. Our professional staff is dedicated to the needs of our patients and their families. A family member or friend is encouraged to stay at the center during your surgery and will be escorted back to join you after the recovery process.
ENT Facial Surgery Center is designed to meet the needs of both the pediatric and adult patient population. Whether the surgical procedure is ENT or aesthetic in nature, our highly skilled staff takes pride in providing quality medical outpatient care.
At ENT Facial, pediatric patients and their parents encounter a nursing staff dedicated to the needs of children from pre-op to discharge. Parents are encouraged to stay with their children up to the time of surgery and are welcome into the post-operative area as soon as possible after surgery. Physician anesthesiologists provide pediatric specialty anesthesia care. The anesthesiologist meets with the patient and parents prior to surgery for a physical assessment, to discuss the anesthetic plan and answer questions.
Adult patients likewise benefit from Board Certified anesthesia and our surgical expertise. Commencing with the pre-operative screening and evaluation for patient safety, this includes an extensive pre-operative interview, and state-of-the-art intra-operative monitoring through careful attention to post-operative care and pain control. The adult procedures are typically a smooth uneventful process. Our staff of physicians, nurses and ancillary personnel consistently demonstrates their commitment to patient care and satisfaction.
ENT Facial Surgery Center is designed to:
- Allow you to have surgery and go home the same day.
- Reduce the cost of your surgery.
- Give you efficient, personal care in a pleasant atmosphere.
- Allow parents of small children and one family member or friend of the adult patient in the recovery area.
Anesthesia
After you’ve arrived for your surgery, you will encounter an unfamiliar face belonging to an important medical specialist- your anesthesiologist. A vital member of your surgical team, your anesthesiologist has critical responsibility for your welfare during your surgical procedure. The anesthesiologist is your advocate in the operating room.
Who Are Anesthesiologists?
Anesthesiologists are physicians who have had four or more years of post-graduate training in anesthesia after graduation from medical school. Their course of study included in-depth training in the broad field of medicine to prepare them for their critical responsibilities in the operating room. During surgery, anesthesiologists administer anesthesia to relieve the patient of pain and, at the same time, manage the patient’s vital life functions, including breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. These doctors are adjusting the amount of anesthetic to the patient’s individual requirements for that specific surgery and monitoring the patient’s vital functions to determine if a potential problem is developing.
Keeping the patient comfortable and well extends beyond the operating room to the recovery room and even to intensive care units where anesthesiologists help to restore critically ill patients to stable condition. Many life-saving procedures- such as open heart surgery and organ transplants- would not be possible without the benefit of the numerous advances that have been made in anesthesiology.
When Will I Meet My Anesthesiologist?
Your anesthesiologist will usually meet with you immediately before your surgery in the preoperative patient area. You or your surgeon may request you meet with your anesthesiologist or one of his colleagues prior to your surgery date either by phone or in the office if you have special concerns or unusual medical problems. When you meet your anesthesiologist, consult that physician as you did your surgeon. A personal patient-to-physician relationship helps to communicate important information about you and about your anesthetic that will usually help allay your concerns and ensure a smoother and safer anesthetic experience.
How Can I Help?
During the preoperative visit, the anesthesiologist will review your medical history, brief you on the anesthetic procedures associated with your surgery, discuss the selected anesthetic, review your laboratory tests, and prescribe any necessary preoperative medications. This is the time to ask questions or discuss any concerns you might have about your anesthetic. It is also when you should relate to your anesthesiologist any problems you or any blood relatives have had with anesthetics in the past, any allergies you have, or to tell the anesthesiologist if you smoke, drink alcohol, or take any medications or non-prescription drugs, including illicit drugs. All this information is critically necessary to understand how best to give you a proper anesthetic.
What Types of Anesthesia Are There?
There are two kinds of anesthesia: general and regional. Under general anesthesia, the patient is usually unaware of the surgical procedure and the passage of time– it’s almost as if you were asleep, but a heavy sleep induced with potent medications. When only a portion of the body is made insensitive, it is called regional anesthesia. Your surgeon and the anesthesiologist will often suggest to you the type of anesthesia best for your specific surgery given your specific needs. The preoperative visit with both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist is a good time to discuss the type of anesthetic with your doctors and to ask about your anesthetic needs.
How Long Will the Anesthesiologist Be With Me?
Your anesthesiologist is personally responsible for your comfort and well-being before, during, and immediately after your surgery in the surgical facility. In the operating room your anesthesiologist will directly manage your anesthetic and manage your vital functions throughout your surgery. The anesthesiologist is also responsible for administering intravenous fluid or blood replacement therapy for you. He (or she) will regulate the amount of anesthetic medications you receive.
The anesthesiologist’s responsibilities also extend into the recovery area where specifically trained nursing staff will continue to monitor your emergence from the anesthetic medications, monitor your vital functions, administer oxygen as needed, and give any medications ordered by the anesthesiologist or the surgeon as required. Frequently, patients receive additional medications for surgical pain or nausea in the recovery area for these two common problems beyond what was given during the surgical procedure in anticipation of the patient’s post-operative need.
Usually you are free from the major effects of the anesthetic medications within a short time after your surgery ends, but you should not plan on caring for yourself, driving, consuming alcohol, or making any important decisions until, at least, the day following your anesthetic and surgery– some of the subtle effects of the anesthetic may persist for many hours. If needed, post-operative pain medications may augment any lingering anesthetic effects for a number of hours.
Your anesthesiologist, surgeon, and the nursing staff function as a team to determine when you are able to leave the recovery area and return home. If you are unable to return home, arrangements will be made to care for you. Most patients are able to leave for home within hours of their surgery.
How Am I Charged for Anesthetic Care by my Anesthesiologist?
Like your surgeon, your anesthesiologist will have the anesthesiology office bill your medical insurance company if your procedure is covered under your medical insurance plan. You will be asked to pay any deductible or unpaid portions of the anesthesiologist’s bill just as you will for your surgeon’s bill. If you have made special arrangements, particularly for surgery and anesthesia not covered by your medical insurance, then those arrangements will be followed.
Please ask your anesthesiologist or call the anesthesiology office if you have any billing questions.
Asking the right questions of your anesthesiologist and listening to the explanation of the anesthesiologist’s plan for your anesthetic can make a dramatic difference to your sense of well-being about your procedure. Getting to know your anesthesiologist will be an important step in the excellent care we plan to give you in your visit to the ENT Facial Surgery Center.