China Anesthesia Week丨The Guardian of "Intoxicating" Beauty: Let's Learn About the Mysterious "Anesthesia Clinic"

The last week of March 2025 is the 9th "China Anesthesia Week". The theme of this year is "Life is the most important, and great doctors are dedicated - protecting life, safeguarding health and comfort."

"Doctor, I just want to do a painless gastroscopy, why do I have to come to the anesthesia clinic?", "I am usually in good health, why do I have to come here for evaluation?" Patients often come to the anesthesia clinic with such questions. Today, Zhu Li, director of the Department of Anesthesiology at Hunan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine), will explain it to you.

1. What is anesthesia clinic?

The anesthesia clinic is a clinic specially opened by the hospital and staffed by anesthesiologists. It is mainly responsible for comprehensive evaluation and preparation of patients who need painless diagnosis and treatment (such as painless gastroscopy, painless colonoscopy, painless abortion, painless bronchoscopy, etc.). At the same time, it also provides professional analgesic treatment plans for some patients with chronic pain and cancer pain.

2. Why should we set up an anesthesia clinic?

1. Ensure the safety of diagnosis and treatment

Before painless diagnosis and treatment, the anesthesiologist can learn about the patient's medical history, anesthesia surgery history, smoking and drinking history, allergy history, family history, medication status, etc. in detail through the anesthesia clinic, and conduct a comprehensive assessment of the patient's physical condition. This helps to determine the patient's tolerance to anesthesia, identify potential risks in advance, and develop a personalized anesthesia plan, thereby greatly improving the safety of painless diagnosis and treatment.

For example, a patient with hypertension and heart disease needs painless diagnosis and treatment. The anesthesiologist will communicate with the patient in the anesthesia clinic to understand his medical history, recent blood pressure control, activity tolerance, and related examinations (such as electrocardiogram, lung CT, heart function test report, etc.), conduct a comprehensive assessment of the patient's physical condition, and guide the patient's preoperative medication, choose the appropriate anesthesia method and medication plan, and ensure that the patient's vital signs are stable during the diagnosis and treatment process.

2. Improve patient medical experience

For patients who receive painless diagnosis and treatment, the anesthesia clinic allows them to learn about anesthesia in advance and eliminate their fear. The anesthesiologist will inform the patient of the precautions before anesthesia, such as the fasting and water restriction time, how to cooperate with anesthesia, and the precautions after anesthesia, so that the patient's medical treatment process will be more comfortable and at ease.

3. Chronic pain management

Many patients with chronic pain, such as trigeminal neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia, suffer from pain for a long time. Doctors in the anesthesia clinic can provide these patients with effective analgesia solutions and improve their quality of life with professional pain treatment techniques, such as intradermal injections and ultrasound-guided nerve blocks.

3. Which groups of people need to go to the anesthesia clinic for treatment?

1. Patients who plan to undergo painless gastroenteroscopy, painless abortion, painless bronchoscopy, etc. should first visit the anesthesia clinic. The anesthesiologist will assess whether the patient is suitable for painless operation and formulate a corresponding anesthesia plan.

2. Older patients with multiple underlying diseases (such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, etc.) should go to the anesthesia clinic for evaluation before painless diagnosis and treatment. Through the professional evaluation of the anesthesiologist, the preoperative physical condition can be optimized and the risk of painless diagnosis and treatment can be reduced.

3. If you are suffering from chronic pain and have tried many treatments without any results, you may go to the anesthesia clinic for help. The anesthesiologist will develop a personalized treatment plan based on the type, location, and degree of pain.

4. Anesthesia Outpatient Clinic Treatment Process

1. Registration

Patients can make an appointment for the anesthesia outpatient clinic through the official website, WeChat public account or manual window of Hunan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.

2. See a doctor

Please bring your medical records and test results, arrive at the anesthesia clinic at the appointment time, and inform the doctor in detail of your medical history, symptoms, anesthesia surgery history, smoking and drinking history, allergy history, family history, medications currently taken, etc., so that the patient's physical condition can be fully assessed.

3. Develop a plan

Based on the evaluation results, the anesthesiologist will develop a personalized anesthesia or pain treatment plan for the patient and explain the plan content, anesthesia risks, precautions, etc. in detail to the patient and his family. If the patient has any questions, he can consult the doctor at any time.

4. Preoperative Preparation

For patients who need painless treatment, the doctor will inform them of the preparations before anesthesia, such as fasting and drinking, stopping certain medications, etc. Patients need to strictly follow the doctor's requirements to ensure the smooth progress of anesthesia and treatment.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Fan Jianhu and Deng Lanju, Department of Neurology (Encephalopathy) of Hunan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

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(Edited by Wx)