As medical doctors, anesthesiologists are uniquely qualified to treat any sudden medical problems
caused by surgery itself, as well as chronic conditions that might need special attention during a
procedure. A drastic increase in the number of anesthesiologists in the late 1960s and early 1970s
corresponded to an increase in the complexity of surgical procedures. Since 1970, the number of
anesthesiologists has nearly doubled and patient outcomes have improved at about the same rate.
In the last 10 years, the number of deaths related to anesthesia dropped from one in every 10,000 to
one in 25,000. Prior to surgery, an anesthesiologist establishes which drugs will work most safely
for an individual patient. During surgery, the anesthesiologist monitors the patient’s vital signs for
any changes and controls the depth of anesthesia. The anesthesiologist also checks on the patient
after surgery to make sure that he or she is awakening from the anesthesia safely and to prescribe
any drugs needed for post-operative pain. Many anesthesiologists also practice non-surgical pain
medicine because of their intimate acquaintance with analgesics.