During Surgery

Monitoring is one of the most important roles the anesthesia care team handles during surgery. Second-by-second observation of even the slightest changes in a wide range of body functions gives the anesthesiologist a tremendous amount of information about the patient's well-being. In addition to directing your anesthesia, the anesthesiologist will manage vital functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, heart rhythm, body temperature, and breathing. He/she will also be responsible for fluid and blood replacement, when necessary. Sophisticated and invasive technology is used to monitor every organ system and its functioning during surgery.

UAB is a teaching institution. As such, one important mission of the university is to educate and train individuals to provide appropriate medical care for the citizens of Alabama. In almost all circumstances, resident physicians and other students will be involved in the care of patients at this institution. These individuals are supervised and directed by attending physicians.