About Us
Boulder Valley Anesthesiology
Since 1993, BVA has partnered with the Front Range community to care for patients' anesthesia needs. What started as a collective of seven anesthesiologists has expanded to a partnership of over 30 anesthesiologists, covering cases at Boulder Community Hospital, Foothills Surgery Center, Boulder Surgery Center, Premier Eye Surgery Center, UCHealth's Longs Peak Hospital, Longs Peak Surgery Center, and Broomfield Hospital.
While we are proud of our growth, we maintain pride in remaining an independent physician group. This provides us with clinical autonomy, a more personal patient experience, and the ability to focus on our beloved community.
bva's use of multimodal anesthesia
Multimodal analgesia is an important concept within ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocols. BVA champions this approach by means of a strong emphasis on regional anesthesia, when appropriate, in combination with a medication regimen that inhibits pain at different pathways to achieve a synergistic effect.
Regional anesthesia includes peripheral nerve blocks, indwelling catheters, and neuraxial anesthesia. In the ambulatory surgery center setting, we are primarily doing peripheral nerve blocks (such as popliteal sciatic and adductor canal for lower extremity procedures, brachial plexus blocks such as interscalene or supra/infraclavicular for upper extremity procedures, and spinals for total knees and hips).
Literature supports the use of multiple classes of medications, including acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and gabapentin/pregabalin. BVA utilizes these medications, in collaboration with our surgeons, to optimize a patient's perioperative experience. The concept is that we are attacking multiple pain pathways with lower doses of drugs from different classes, as opposed to a high dose of drug from one class. This mitigates adverse effects and improves efficacy through synergy.
Responsibilities of the Anesthesiologist
What is the Role of an Anesthesiologist?
The role of the anesthesiologist has historically been to guide the patient safely through surgery and advocate for them throughout the process. As most other anesthesiology groups, BVA has a majority membership with the American Society of Anesthesiologists which depicts this mission in their lighthouse seal.
Since 1932, the artistic elements within the lighthouse seal have carried specific meaning. The patient is represented as a ship sailing on troubled seas with clouds of doubt or fear, guided by the anesthesiologist, continually vigilant over the journey. The physician is to be a beacon of dependable knowledge and protection, guiding the patient to a safe and pleasant outcome.
The lighthouse symbol represents ASA’s commitment to physician anesthesiologists around the world who organize and form a union of sharp minds, kind hearts, and steady hands to protect patients during their most vulnerable moments.
*Adapted from the ASA website: https://www.asahq.org/about-asa
