For Patients

What to expect from your anesthesia care

Dr. John Seitz is a board-certified anesthesiologist in New York City. Here is what happens before, during and after a procedure, and the questions worth asking.

What types of anesthesia services does Dr. Seitz provide?

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

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

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.

Does Dr. Seitz provide obstetric and epidural anesthesia services?

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

How does Dr. Seitz approach patient safety during anesthesia?

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.

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

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.

What are the levels of sedation?

The ASA describes a continuum of depth of sedation with four named states: minimal sedation (anxiolysis), moderate sedation/analgesia — commonly called conscious sedation — deep sedation/analgesia, and general anesthesia. Because sedation is a continuum, it is not always possible to predict how an individual patient will respond, and practitioners should be able to rescue patients whose level becomes deeper than intended.

What is monitored during anesthesia?

The ASA's Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring require that oxygenation, ventilation, circulation and temperature be continually evaluated. An ECG is displayed continuously, blood pressure and heart rate are measured and recorded at least every five minutes, and temperature is monitored when a clinically significant change is intended, anticipated or suspected.

How long does anesthesia stay in your system?

There are two different answers: how long the drugs themselves take to leave your body, and how long until your coordination, judgment and reaction time are back to normal. These do not always finish at the same moment, and the second one is what decides when you can drive, work or make important decisions. Your provider's written discharge instructions take precedence over any general time frame you may find online.

What are the side effects of anesthesia?

Most anesthesia side effects are mild and temporary. A sore throat is common if a breathing tube was used during general anesthesia. Grogginess and fatigue can persist after anesthesia, and the duration varies with the patient and the technique. Nausea and vomiting are common after anesthesia, and preventive medication can be given before or at the end of surgery.

Do I need to stop eating and drinking before anesthesia?

Ask your anesthesiologist directly about food and drink before your procedure. Fasting instructions are individual: they depend on the procedure, your health and the anesthesiologist's assessment, and you will be told exactly when to stop eating and drinking. Follow those instructions rather than a general rule you find online.

What should I tell my anesthesiologist before surgery?

Bring a complete list of everything you take — prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and alternative therapies. Mention allergies, tobacco, alcohol or cannabis use, and snoring or sleep apnea. You will also be asked about your medical history, previous operations and any problem with anesthesia in your family.

Can I have a nerve block if I take blood thinners?

If you take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication, timing matters. The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine publishes evidence-based guidelines on when these drugs should be paused before and resumed after a block. Please share a complete medication list at your consultation, and never stop a prescribed medication without guidance from your physician.

What happens in the recovery room after anesthesia?

When your procedure ends, you are taken to a recovery area where your medical care continues under the direction of an anesthesiologist. The ASA's Standards for Postanesthesia Care require continued evaluation and monitoring until the patient's condition is stable, and require that recovery arrangements provide for assessment and treatment of pain and for evaluation and management of complications.

Do I need someone to drive me home after anesthesia?

Please arrange for a responsible adult to drive you home if you are having an outpatient procedure. Until your providers confirm it is safe, do not drive, operate machinery, sign legal documents or make important decisions.

Does a labor epidural work better than other pain relief in labor?

Neuraxial techniques — epidural, spinal and combined spinal-epidural — provide highly effective labor pain relief and generally relieve pain better than systemic opioids.

Will I be awake for a C-section?

For most cesarean deliveries, spinal or epidural anesthesia is considered in preference to general anesthesia, usually allowing the mother to remain awake and avoiding routine airway instrumentation.

What anesthesia is used for egg retrieval?

Egg retrieval is a short procedure, and intravenous sedation is widely used to keep the patient comfortable while allowing a prompt recovery and same-day discharge. Depth of sedation is matched to the patient and the procedure, with continuous monitoring of oxygenation, ventilation and circulation.

Childbirth

Anesthesia for labor and delivery

Dr. Seitz provides anesthesia for labor and delivery, and is very experienced with cesarean deliveries, spinal anesthesia and anesthesia for emergency cesarean delivery.

• The labor epidural

  How it works, when you can have one, and common side effects.

  Read article

• Spinal or epidural for a C-section

  Why most cesareans are done awake, and what you will feel.

  Read article

• Emergency C-section

  How anesthesia is chosen when delivery becomes urgent.

  Read article

• Recovery and breastfeeding

  Pain relief after delivery and breastfeeding after anesthesia.

  Read article