Anesthesia at Mass. Eye and Ear

If you are having surgery at Mass. Eye and Ear you will be cared for by one of our 19 Anesthesiologists or 12 Certified Nurse Anesthetists. Your anesthesiologist will work with your surgeon to determine if your surgery requires you to undergo general anesthesia or local anesthesia.

Pre-Operative Evaluation

On the day of your surgery, you’ll be met and interviewed by an anesthesiologist who will review your medical history, allergies and previous anesthetic experience. The anesthesiologist will explain the anesthetic procedure, answer questions, obtain permissions, and prescribe appropriate sedation as indicated.

To ensure safety and to minimize vomiting and aspiration, you must not have anything to eat (solids) the day of surgery.

You may take your usual pills with sips of water.

Link to Adult Pre-Surgery Guide in Patient Guide

Link to Pediatric Pre-Surgery Guide in Patient Guide

Laboratory Tests

If you are over the age of 50 you will require a recent (within 6 months) EKG (Electrocardiogram) . Cardiac history may warrant more recent EKG(s) in younger patients.

Lab tests such as potassium, BUN, creatinine, blood sugar are not routinely required but may be requested by your physician. Consult your physician to determine what is appropriate. 

Anesthesia Support for Non-English Speaking Patients

The Anesthesia Department is multi-lingual and committed to explaining anesthesia procedure to non-English speaking patients and their families, so they can pose questions comfortably and receive answers in their own language.
Anesthesiologists on staff are fluent in:

• Arabic
• German
• French
• Chinese
• Korean
• Polish
• Hindi
• Russian
• Spanish 

Interpreters for other languages are available within Mass. Eye and Ear.

Anesthesia Staff

All staff anesthesiologists have medical staff appointments at Harvard Medical School.
If you wish to see a listing of current anesthesiology department medical staff, go to the column to the left, under  "Find a Doctor."  Go to "By Specialty" and choose "Anesthesia."

Page updated 3/11/09