Ophtho

Physician anesthesiologists at Stanford’s Byers Eye Institute provide perioperative consultation and care, including pre-operative assessment, sedation and general anesthesia, for patients undergoing ophthalmologic and oculoplastic surgeries.  These surgeries are performed to treat conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, uveitis, strabismus, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment and corneal disease requiring corneal transplant. Additionally, our oculoplastic and orbital surgeons perform a variety of eyelid and facial surgeries, including tear duct surgery, eyelid surgery and orbital oncologic procedures.

Cataract surgery at Byers is performed through a state-of-the-art process called phacoemulsification which allows the surgeons to insert a foldable lens through small incisions.  This allows for quick visual recovery following surgery and the procedure often takes only 15 minutes to perform.

The anesthesia group at the Byers Eye Institute is led by Drs. Tara Cornaby, Jessica Was and Creed Stary and includes an experienced group of nurse anesthetists.  We have nearly 20 surgeons all specializing in a variety of diseases and procedures of the eyes.  For more information, please visit the ophthalmology website: http://ophthalmology.stanford.edu.

Bariatrics

The bariatric anesthesia group specializes in providing peri-operative care for obese and morbidly obese patients undergoing surgery.  Surgical procedures predominantly consist of weight-loss surgeries such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy surgery. The bariatric group also provides perioperative consultation and care for obese patients undergoing other types of non-cardiac surgery and procedures requiring the expertise of a specialized anesthesiologist. 

Stanford University is a Center of Excellence for peri-operative management of obese patients. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, a minimally invasive technique involving the use of cameras and instruments inserted through small incisions in the abdomen, is the most common bariatric surgery performed at Stanford. 

The bariatric anesthesia group at Stanford University School of Medicine consists of Drs. Erin Crawford, Hendrikus Lemmens, and Jay Brodsky.  This group has received NIH-funding and international recognition for their academic and clinical expertise, having published over a hundred peer-reviewed studies and book chapters defining the field of bariatric anesthesia. 

Spine

The spine anesthesia group is comprised of physician anesthesiologists who specialize in the perioperative care of patients undergoing neurosurgical and orthopedic surgeries. Spine surgery is performed to treat conditions such as back pain not responsive to physical therapy, or numbness, weakness, or other neurologic symptoms deemed to originate from spinal pathology. Some surgeries can be performed on an outpatient basis, whereas others might require an inpatient post-operative stay, or even more than one day of operations.

Our anesthesiologists work closely with your surgical team to ensure that you receive the highest level of perioperative care. A thorough neurological and pain assessment will be performed by a member of your anesthesiology team prior to surgery, as well as after surgery. Many patients undergoing extensive spine surgery will be cared for by the Stanford Pain Service, also comprised of anesthesiologists, in the post-operative period

Thoracic

The thoracic anesthesia group provides anesthesia care for patients undergoing non-cardiac procedures in the chest cavity.  This includes surgery on the lungs, esophagus, chest wall, and other structures within the chest.  These procedures are done for diseases such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer and non-malignant diseases of the esophagus, cancer of the pleura, or diseases of the airway, among other indications.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a minimally invasive technique involving the use of cameras and instruments inserted through small incisions, is the most common procedure at Stanford, accounting for approximately half of the over 1800 thoracic operations performed at Stanford in 2016.  Occasionally an open thoracotomy procedure is required rather than a minimally invasive VATS procedure.  Our thoracic surgeons are experts in both approaches and are on the cutting edge of new technology such as robotic-assisted surgery.

The thoracic anesthesia group at Stanford includes several anesthesiologists working under the direction of Dr. Vivek Kulkarni.  Our surgical team includes Dr. Joseph Shrager (division chief), Dr. Leah Backhus, Dr. Mark Berry, and Dr. Natalie Lui.  For more information, please see the thoracic surgery division's website:http://med.stanford.edu/ctsurgery/clinical-care/thoracic-surgery-services.html.

ENT

The Head and Neck Anesthesia group, led by Dr. Vladimir Nekhendzy, is one of the largest and busiest subdivisions within Stanford’s Multispecialty Anesthesia Division. Formally established in 1998, it currently includes 10 designated faculty anesthesiologists with a special interest and expertise in head and neck anesthesia and advanced airway management, also making it the largest group of its kind in the country.

In clinical care, we routinely cover anywhere from 4-8 operating rooms daily. The diverse surgical procedures include major head and neck cancer surgery for which advanced airway management techniques are often required in order for the surgeon to safely perform the operation. Other operations include thyroid and parathyroid surgery, laryngologic surgery (focuses on the voice box), nose and sinus surgery, facial cosmetic surgery, otologic surgery (focuses on the middle and inner ear often addressing hearing and balance problems or tumors), transoral robotic surgery (TORS), and sleep surgery (includes surgeries on the tonsils, palate, tongue, and upper and lower jaw).

Over the years, our group has developed many special anesthetic protocols aimed at improving surgical outcomes, patient safety, and patient satisfaction. Some of the examples include detailed techniques for proper positioning of the NIM tubes for intraoperative monitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerve function during thyroid and skull base surgery, stratified use of opioid infusion techniques for optimal pain control, and anesthetic management for outpatient facial cosmetic surgery. We have also developed a focused clinical approach to safe use of different advanced airway techniques for specific head and neck surgical procedures. In addition to advanced methods for placing a breathing tube, these techniques also include safe placement of supraglottic airways that sit above the windpipe and the use of a high flow nasal cannula for short surgeries on the vocal cord or esophagus. We also hold a highly-praised annual two-day course on advanced airway management that is well-attended by anesthesiologists and head and neck surgeons from the US and all over the world.

The Head and Neck Anesthesia group has a strong and productive relationship with our surgical colleagues who include Dr. Ed Damrose (Chief of Staff of Staff of Stanford Health Care), Dr. Robert Jackler, Dr. Nikolas Blevins, Dr. Chris Holsinger, Dr. Eben Rosenthal, Dr. Lisa Orloff, Dr. Michael Kaplan, Dr. John Sunwoo, Dr. Vasu Divi, Dr. Davud Sirjani, Dr. Peter Hwang, Dr. Jayakar Nayak, Dr. Zara Patel, Dr. Sam Most, Dr. C. Kwang Sung, Dr. Robson Capasso, Dr. Stanley Liu, Dr. Uchechukwu Megwalu, and Dr. Jennifer Lee. For more information please visit the head and neck surgery division’s website: https://med.stanford.edu/ohns.html

ORTHO

The orthopedic-trauma anesthesia group provides anesthesia care for patients undergoing acute and sub-acute surgeries resultant of traumatic injuries.  The most common injuries treated include hip fractures and injuries to the extremities. Your anesthesia team will develop a relationship with you during your initial presentation to the hospital, and if future surgeries are needed a principle anesthesiologist will be able to care for you more longitudinally.

The surgical team is led by Dr. Michael Gardner (division chief) and includes Dr. Julius Bishop and Dr. Michael Bellino. Collectively they perform approximately 1000 trauma-based surgeries a year.  The surgery group and anesthesiology groups work collaboratively to develop a specialized care plan for each patient that may include regional-based anesthesia techniques to assist with intra-operative and post-operative pain.  For more information, please see the orthopedic trauma service’s website: http://ortho.stanford.edu/trauma.html.

NEURO

The neurosurgical anesthesia group works hand-in-hand with the neurosurgeons at the Stanford Medical Center, taking care of patients who are having surgery of the brain and spinal cord. These surgeries are most frequently performed for patients with tumors of the brain or spinal cord, abnormalities of blood vessels of the brain, degenerative spine disease, traumatic injury to the head or spine, and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease and epilepsy. We also specialize in the care of patients undergoing procedures outside of an operating room, such as minimally invasive catheter angiography, often used to diagnose and treat brain aneurysms, and MRI-guided laser ablation for epilepsy.

When patients need brain and spine surgery, we team with other specialties to reduce the risk of surgery. Before surgery, patients are usually referred to our Preoperative Evaluation Clinic, where physicians and experienced nurse practitioners guide patients about the safety of anesthesia and give us the most up-to-date patient health information. Our neurosurgeons use state-of-the-art imaging technology to plan for the operation, and we work together with physicians and technologists in the Neurology department to monitor brain and spine function during surgery.

The neurosurgical anesthesia group at Stanford includes several anesthesiologists working under the direction of Dr. Richard Jaffe. Our surgical team is led by Department Chair Dr. Gary Steinberg, and includes specialists in tumor, vascular, spine, and functional neurosurgery.