Anesthesia Department

Anesthesia services at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital are provided by a highly qualified team of board certified anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) with training in a variety of areas including:

• general anesthesia
• cardiac anesthesia
• pediatric anesthesia
• pain management
• internal medicine.

Throughout your surgery, your anesthesiologist/CRNA will be at your side to make sure that your vital functions stay within safe limits, and to provide timely treatment as necessary.

In many cases, the type of anesthetic used depends on the planned surgery or procedure. Your anesthesiologist/CRNA is also responsible for supervising the care provided by BMH’s Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) nursing staff. Control of post-surgical pain is a high priority, and each member of BMH’s Anesthesiology team is skilled in tailoring your anesthesia to provide the most comfortable recovery possible.

Anesthesia Techniques

• General anesthesia (going to sleep)
• Deep or moderate sedation (twilight sleep)
• Monitored anesthesia care (minimal sedation)
• Spinal anesthesia
• Epidural anesthesia for surgery and pain control
• Nerve blocks for knee, foot, shoulder, arm and hand surgery
• Special techniques for children:
  • “Candy flavored magic anesthesia air”
  • No-needle anesthesia
  • Oral sedation before surgery if needed
  • Numbing skin cream for painless IV starts (“EMLA”)