Adult Clinical Care

The Department of Anesthesiology has several clinical specialties, including the following:

• Acute Pain Service
• Cardiothoracic
• Critical Care
• Liver Transplant Anesthesia
• Neuroanesthesia
• Obstetric Anesthesia

The Department of Anesthesiology's Adult Practice team includes specialists in both acute and chronic pain management. The Acute Pain Service is focused on delivering targeted pain relief for patients immediately after surgery or during hospitalization, while our Chronic Pain Service provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary care for those experiencing long-term pain. Our pain specialists collaborate with patients and their families to develop tailored pain management plans that may involve a combination of medications, therapies, and holistic approaches.

We also offer a pre-procedural consultation service designed to ensure patients are in optimal health before surgery, addressing any concerns and providing recommendations to improve outcomes. Beyond the operating room, our Critical Care Specialists manage patient care in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), focusing on both recovery and pain management.

Outpatient Services

Day Surgery refers to the Operating Room and Procedural care of patients who usually return home after surgical and anesthesia care. Since January 2001 the Day Surgery Unit of the University of Colorado Hospital has been separate from the main Operating Rooms and located in the Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion. Patients in the Day Surgery Unit undergo operative procedures by a variety of surgeons specializing in Sports Medicine, Ophthalmology, Gynecology, Orthopedics and Hand Surgery, Otolaryngology, Urology, General Surgery, Interventional Pain Management, and Podiatry. Anesthesia care is also provided for patients undergoing invasive gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.

Patients in our Day Surgery must be over 2 years of age and generally less likely to have complicating medical conditions. Procedures are typically of shorter duration than in the main Operating Rooms and often require only regional anesthesia and sedation, although the anesthesiologists are fully capable of general anesthesia care when necessary. Since patients should be able to return to home care after their procedure, the care in the Day Surgery Unit involves collaboration among anesthesiologists, surgeons, pre and post op nurses and operating room nurses. Together we focus on compassionate and efficient patient care.

Clinical Research

The Department of Anesthesiology conducts a broad range of clinical research, an area which has experienced remarkable growth over the past five years.

Most of our clinical research is funded via grants are from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

Physician scientists in our department endeavor to address pressing clinical questions by conducting both retrospective and prospective studies. These primarily focus on perioperative care and postoperative management in the intensive care unit (ICU). Department investigators regularly collaborate with other departments at the University of Colorado and investigators at other institutions.