EXPERT
Dr. Bernard Wittels, M.D., PH.D.
Anesthesiologist
Dr. Bernard Wittels is an anesthesiologist practicing in Evanston, IL. Dr. Wittels ensures the safety of patients who are about to undergo surgery. Anestesiologists specialize in general anesthesia, which will (put the patient to sleep), sedation, which will calm the patient or make him or her unaware of the situation, and regional anesthesia, which just numbs a specific part of the body. As an anesthesiologist, Dr. Wittels also might help manage pain after an operation.
38 years
Experience
Dr. Bernard Wittels, M.D., PH.D.
- Evanston, IL
- University Of Chicago Div Of Bio Sci Pritzker School Of Medicine
- Accepting new patients
The Silent Killer
She moves in a stealthy manner, makes no sounds, emits no scent, you insist that you don’t know her and you have no reason to be suspicious of anything. Who is this sly culprit?...
Pain-Free Labor and Delivery
Many pregnant women near their delivery date have preconceived notions about the management of their labor and delivery. Some plan a “natural” delivery, some want only intravenous...
Can you be awake for shoulder surgery?
If you accept an interscalene nerve block from your anesthesiologist, it can numb your shoulder and arm completely for nearly all shoulder surgeries and you can be given light-to-moderate READ MORE
If you accept an interscalene nerve block from your anesthesiologist, it can numb your shoulder and arm completely for nearly all shoulder surgeries and you can be given light-to-moderate sedation as needed to make the experience more comfortable and relaxing.
Can shoulder surgery be done without general anesthesia?
Most shoulder surgeries can be done with a dense interscalene nerve block and IV sedation as needed.
What should you not do after anesthesia?
After receiving general anesthesia, one should not eat a large meal, and not drive anywhere except as a passenger, and not make any major financial or marital decisions in the READ MORE
After receiving general anesthesia, one should not eat a large meal, and not drive anywhere except as a passenger, and not make any major financial or marital decisions in the following 24 hours.
What type of anesthesia is used for hip surgery?
General anesthesia or spinal anesthesia can be used for hip surgery.
What kind of anesthesia is used for cystoscopy?
Because cystoscopy is usually done as an outpatient procedure (you go home after surgery), you are given a brief general anesthetic and recover quickly.
How long can general anesthesia affect you?
General anesthesia usually involves short-acting agents that wear off in hours.
How long does urinary retention last after anesthesia?
Urinary retention related to surgery and anesthesia is multifactorial, including patient conditions (BPH, urethral strictures, advanced age, and others), length of surgery (longer READ MORE
Urinary retention related to surgery and anesthesia is multifactorial, including patient conditions (BPH, urethral strictures, advanced age, and others), length of surgery (longer surgeries require the placement of a Foley urine catheter to avoid bladder distention, longer duration of Foley catheter presence increases the risk of urine retention after removal of the Foley catheter), type of surgery (surgery on the penis, urethra, prostate, or bladder can increase the risk of urine retention), and more painful surgeries (higher doses of opioids to control pain may increase the risk of urine retention), and spine surgeries (neurogenic bladder is a potential side effect of surgery on or near the spinal cord).
Why does it take so long to wake up from anesthesia?
Delayed awakening from general anesthesia has many potential causes or aggravating factors, including morbid obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, extreme sleep deprivation, sensitivity READ MORE
Delayed awakening from general anesthesia has many potential causes or aggravating factors, including morbid obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, extreme sleep deprivation, sensitivity to medications, trauma, and medications such as opioids and benzodiazepines.
What would cause someone to not wake up from anesthesia?
It is exceedingly rare for a patient not to wake up after routine general anesthesia; the only cases of that category that I know of are in patients who are deathly ill or nearly READ MORE
It is exceedingly rare for a patient not to wake up after routine general anesthesia; the only cases of that category that I know of are in patients who are deathly ill or nearly brain dead prior to receiving anesthesia. In other words, those patients have the worst possible prognosis and are fortunate to even survive. A healthy 34-year-old should have no problems
at all.
at all.
How long is memory loss after general anesthesia?
During general anesthesia, patients receive multiple agents that render amnesia and unconsciousness. Patients are unconscious during the entire surgery, so there are no memories READ MORE
During general anesthesia, patients receive multiple agents that render amnesia and unconsciousness. Patients are unconscious during the entire surgery, so there are no memories stored from surgery. Often, a benzodiazepine is administered preoperatively to allay anxiety and these drugs also cause anterograde and mild retrograde amnesia for the preoperative events. The memories of preoperative events may or may not ever be recalled with clarity, and the benzodiazepines have been shown to cloud higher cognitive levels of reasoning and computational ability for as long as a week after surgery.
What are the effects of too much anesthesia?
It is a common practice among anesthesiologists to titrate anesthetic gases and intravenous agents to achieve the desired effect on an individual basis so that "too much anesthesia" READ MORE
It is a common practice among anesthesiologists to titrate anesthetic gases and intravenous agents to achieve the desired effect on an individual basis so that "too much anesthesia" is never administered.
What problems can anesthesia cause?
Side effects of inhalational anesthesia include postoperative nausea and transient drowsiness. The risk of nausea is reduced or eliminated by the use of multiple anti-emetic drugs, READ MORE
Side effects of inhalational anesthesia include postoperative nausea and transient drowsiness. The risk of nausea is reduced or eliminated by the use of multiple anti-emetic drugs, and the return to full wakefulness usually occurs in the first hour postoperatively.
Do you urinate under general anesthesia?
Patients generally do not urinate during general anesthesia for short surgical procedures. In longer surgeries, patients usually receive a Foley catheter to drain the bladder intraoperatively. READ MORE
Patients generally do not urinate during general anesthesia for short surgical procedures. In longer surgeries, patients usually receive a Foley catheter to drain the bladder intraoperatively.
What medications are used for conscious sedation?
Conscious sedation involves medication administration by a nurse or physician who is NOT an anesthesiologist, so they are only qualified in giving drugs such as midazolam and fentanyl READ MORE
Conscious sedation involves medication administration by a nurse or physician who is NOT an anesthesiologist, so they are only qualified in giving drugs such as midazolam and fentanyl in small doses.
Is it painful to have a colonoscopy without sedation?
If you are a stoic person with a moderate-to-high degree of pain tolerance, then you can undergo colonoscopy without sedation; you can also receive just moderate sedation (with READ MORE
If you are a stoic person with a moderate-to-high degree of pain tolerance, then you can undergo colonoscopy without sedation; you can also receive just moderate sedation (with midazolam and fentanyl), or you can receive deep sedation (some call it general anesthesia) with propofol administered by an anesthesiologist who closely monitors you throughout the procedure. The choice is yours.
Do you need sedation for a gastroscopy?
For gastroscopy in a young man, deep sedation by an anesthesiologist will likely be the best option.
Is gastroscopy done under general anesthesia?
Gastroscopy usually requires the administration of deep sedation by an anesthesiologist. Some providers consider this general anesthesia because patients do not respond to the READ MORE
Gastroscopy usually requires the administration of deep sedation by an anesthesiologist. Some providers consider this general anesthesia because patients do not respond to the stimulating procedure.
Can you be awake during foot surgery?
If you want to be awake, you can if you receive an ankle block with local anesthetics that completely numbs the area of surgery, or if you receive a spinal anesthetic.
