Question 1

What types of anesthesia services does Dr. Seitz provide?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Seitz provides anesthesia services for surgical, office-based, obstetric, and procedural settings, with a focus on patient safety, comfort, and individualized care.

Question 2

What are the benefits of Total Intravenous Anesthesia (TIVA)?

Accepted Answer

TIVA uses intravenous medications instead of anesthetic gases to maintain anesthesia. Benefits may include less postoperative nausea and vomiting, a smoother recovery, and precise control of anesthetic depth during surgery. The most appropriate anesthetic approach depends on the individual patient and procedure.

Question 3

Does Dr. Seitz provide obstetric and epidural anesthesia services?

Accepted Answer

Yes. His clinical experience includes obstetric anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, and the anesthetic management of labor and delivery patients.

Question 4

How does Dr. Seitz approach patient safety during anesthesia?

Accepted Answer

Patient safety is the foundation of Dr. Seitz's practice. Every anesthetic plan is tailored to the individual patient through careful assessment, preparation, monitoring, and communication with the surgical team.

Question 5

Can Dr. Seitz provide anesthesia at our office or surgery center?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Dr. Seitz has experience providing anesthesia care in office-based and ambulatory settings across a variety of specialties and procedures. Practices without an in-house anesthesia team can arrange on-site coverage directly with Dr. Seitz, bringing physician-level anesthesia care to the office or surgery center where the procedure is performed, under the standards applicable to that setting.

Question 6

What is monitored anesthesia care (MAC)?

Accepted Answer

Monitored anesthesia care, or MAC, is an anesthesia service in which qualified anesthesia personnel provide assessment, monitoring and support throughout a procedure. It is distinct from moderate sedation administered by the procedural team: Dr. Seitz is continuously present and devoted to the patient, titrating sedation and analgesia while oxygenation, ventilation, circulation and temperature are evaluated.

Question 7

Is the standard of care different for office-based anesthesia?

Accepted Answer

No. Applicable ASA standards for monitoring and care apply in every setting — the standard of care does not change because the case leaves the hospital. Preoperative evaluation, patient selection, monitoring, emergency preparedness and discharge planning are reviewed when determining whether a case is suitable for a given facility, and these points are discussed with the practice when arranging coverage.

Question 8

What does anesthesia coverage for an office or surgery center include?

Accepted Answer

Coverage arrangements specify anesthesia responsibilities, handoffs and recovery oversight, so the surgical team knows exactly how each case will be covered before it is scheduled. Coverage planning addresses patient and case suitability, equipment, medications, staffing and emergency arrangements, including a written protocol for the safe and timely transfer of patients to a prespecified alternate care facility.

Question 9

Does Dr. Seitz provide anesthesia in hospital operating rooms?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Coverage is available for hospital operating rooms and ambulatory surgery centers, with defined anesthesia responsibilities from induction through recovery. Care begins with a structured preanesthesia evaluation and an anesthetic plan matched to the procedure and the patient.

Question 10

Does Dr. Seitz provide anesthesia for plastic surgery offices?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Dr. Seitz provides anesthesia for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, planned around comfort, recovery needs and the setting. Propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia may reduce postoperative nausea compared with inhalational anesthesia, and suitable regional techniques may reduce opioid needs. Suitability for an office or surgery center depends on the patient, the procedure, the personnel and equipment available, and the emergency and recovery arrangements.

Question 11

Does Dr. Seitz provide sedation for dental and oral surgery?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Intravenous sedation and general anesthesia for dental, oral surgery and maxillofacial procedures performed in the office — including third molar extractions, implant surgery and full-mouth rehabilitation — after assessment of the patient, the procedure and the facility.

Question 12

Does Dr. Seitz provide anesthesia at fertility clinics?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Dr. Seitz provides anesthesia at fertility clinics, most commonly for transvaginal oocyte (egg) retrieval. These are short procedures, and intravenous sedation is widely used to keep the patient comfortable while allowing a prompt recovery and same-day discharge.

Question 13

How is total intravenous anesthesia different from inhaled anesthesia?

Accepted Answer

Total intravenous anesthesia, or TIVA, maintains general anesthesia entirely through an intravenous line rather than with inhaled anesthetic gases. A hypnotic and an analgesic are combined — commonly a propofol infusion with a short-acting opioid such as remifentanil — and infusion rates are adjusted continuously to the patient's response.

Question 14

What is the difference between an anesthesiologist and a nurse anesthetist?

Accepted Answer

Both professions are licensed and highly trained. Physician anesthesiologists complete medical school, a clinical internship and a three-year anesthesiology residency, and many complete fellowships. The ASA's position is that anesthesia care should be led by a physician anesthesiologist. The evidence does not establish that nurse anesthetists are unsafe; what it supports is narrower: physician expertise appears most valuable when a complication must be recognized and managed quickly, and in patients whose medical conditions raise the risk of anesthesia.

Answers to common questions.