Operating requires intense concentration on the part of the surgeon so when anything other than a minor procedure is being done it’s a good idea to have an anesthesia provider monitoring the patient’s pulse, blood pressure, and other vital signs to assure that the surgical experience is a safe one. Since opening the first operating room outside of a hospital setting in the Santa Clarita Valley in 1983, I have performed thousands of outpatient procedures in my office surgical suite.
For nearly 25 years, anesthesia for the vast majority of my cases has been provided by Dennis O’Leary, CRNA, and I give him significant credit for our perfect safety record over that period of time. CRNA stands for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, meaning that Mr. O’Leary is a nurse trained and licensed in the specialty of anesthesia. His particular area of expertise is office-based, outpatient surgery.
The difference between an anesthetist and an anesthesiologist is that the latter has attended medical school and holds an MD degree. I certainly have nothing against MD anesthesiologists and have worked with many wonderful ones during my surgical career. But I feel that Mr. O’Leary’s training and experience make him an ideal anesthesia provider for my plastic surgery practice. He is up-to-date on the latest safety innovations, always vigilant, and extremely conscientious. His expertise allows 100 percent of our patients to go directly home from the office with an adult caregiver and he never leaves the office until the last patient is fully recovered and safely on the way home. I feel very comfortable concentrating on my surgical procedure while Dennis O’Leary, CRNA, is watching out for the welfare of my patient.
For more information, please call Edward Pechter, MD at 661-255-2151, e-mail drpechter@aol.com or visit www.drpechter.com . The office is located at 25880 Tournament Road, Suite 217 in Valencia.