A pediatric anesthesiologist is a physician who has completed medical school, at least four years of medical training (a year of internship and three years in an anesthesiology residency program), and at least one year of a pediatric anesthesia fellowship program.
Pediatric anesthesiologists continually monitor the patient's vital functions such as breathing, heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and fluid and blood needs, and make medical decisions relating to operative care. They ensure the child's safety during the procedure by using anesthetics and techniques tailored to the specific medical condition. They manage post-procedural pain during the period following an intervention, assuring the child is as comfortable as possible. They also provide consultation throughout the institution on diverse areas, including sedation medications, pain control, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) care, preoperative optimization of pediatric patients, and airway management.
At Stony Brook Children's our pediatric anesthesiology core team consists of five fellowship-trained pediatric anesthesiologists. We also have a pediatric anesthesiology technician specially trained in maintaining the unique equipment in each of our pediatric anesthesia mobile carts.