Overview
The UC Irvine Department of Anesthesiology is affiliated with the UC Irvine School of Medicine and provides anesthesia coverage at the preeminent UC Irvine Medical Center; the only university hospital serving Orange County and some surrounding areas. As one of five University of California medical centers throughout the state, UC Irvine Medical Center is a thriving Level 1 Trauma Referral Center with steadily increasing patient volume and surgery complexity. Our group of anesthesiologists provides continuous coverage for all of the professional services at the hospital including, but not limited to surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics, radiology, gastroenterology, emergency and trauma medicine, and acute and chronic pain management.
Anesthesia
Anesthesiology is a discipline within the practice of medicine specializing in:
- The medical management (preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative evaluation and treatment) of patients who are rendered unconscious and/or insensible to pain and emotional stress during surgical, obstetrical and certain other medical procedures.
- The protection of life functions and vital organs under the stress of anesthetic, surgical and other medical procedures, including the management of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- The management of problems in pain relief, including acute and chronic pain medicine and obstetric analgesia.
- The management of critically ill patients in special care units.
Scope of Services: The Department of Anesthesiology provides complete anesthesia services, including consultation for patients and other physicians, general anesthesia, spinal and regional analgesia, obstetric analgesia/anesthesia, deep sedation, management of intensive care patients, and acute and chronic pain management. Anesthesia service is available at any time of the day.
Pre-Op Clinic
The UC Irvine Department of Anesthesia Pre-Op Clinic is responsible for collecting patient information relevant to the surgical procedure that the patient is to undergo as well as the types of anesthetics that will be required. This information is reviewed to determine how the anesthetic can best be delivered in the safest and most comfortable manner available. Most often the information is collected on a simple screening questionnaire of just a few questions that can be quickly reviewed. The review will then determine if more information or further testing is required. For example, sometimes an electrocardiogram of the heart may be requested to ensure that there are no issues that might affect the anesthetic being planned. On occasion the patient may be asked to visit with an anesthesiologist, though more often the information can be obtained via telephone. The patient is always welcome to visit the clinic during regular office hours to see a board certified anesthesiologist for reassurance or to answer any questions the patient may have. An interpreter will be made available if necessary.A printable copy of the Anesthesia Pre-Op Screening Questionnaire is available.