When will I meet the Anaesthetist?

Your anaesthetist will visit you in hospital before the operation. Details will be taken of your general health and past medical history. Particular attention is paid to previous operations and anaesthetic history. It is the anaesthetist who decides whether you are physically fit for the operation. This is the time to discuss any fears or anxieties (e.g. needle or mask phobias, anxieties about awareness in operations, fears of nausea and vomiting etc…)

The anaesthetic procedure can be carefully designed and managed just for you. Patients have very different desires about their anaesthetic. Some patients want to be very sleepy before coming to the theatre, whereas others want to have the minimum amount of medication as possible.