Trauma and Adult Multi-Specialty Anesthesiology

Welcome to the Trauma and Adult Multi-Specialty Anesthesiology Division of the UCLA Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine! Our skilled team of physicians are committed to clinical excellence throughout the perioperative and periprocedural period. We provide exceptional, compassionate, and attentive care of patients undergoing a wide range of surgical procedures, both elective and emergent.

Research

We are committed to clinical research in and out of the operating room, on topics related to the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care of our patients. It is our belief that the advancement of medical care in our specialty is driven by the aspirations, ambitions, and determination of our clinicians carrying out our daily work. We strive to find better, more efficient, and safer ways of doing what we love, and are passionate about the role that active research plays in our pursuit of clinical excellence.

Two of our recent clinical trials:

1. The VEGA-1 Trial: The choice of vasopressor for treating hypotension during general anesthesia: a pilot pragmatic cluster cross-over randomized trial
   • Objectives: To assess whether the first-line choice of vasopressor (namely, phenylephrine vs norepinephrine) during general anesthesia impacts surgery and patient outcomes.
   • Rationale:
     • Hypotension during surgery has been linked to increased postoperative morbidity and mortality, specifically, increased risk of acute kidney injury, stroke, cardiac events, and death.
     • Treating or preventing hypotension during general anesthesia and major surgery was found to improve outcomes and, as a result, there has been an increased use of intraoperative vasopressors over recent years.
     • At this time, it is unclear what is the best vasopressor to maintain blood pressure during surgery.
2. Merck Sugammadex Trial: A prospective digital quality improvement project to apply best clinical practices to patients at high risk of respiratory complications.
   • Objectives:
     • Perform a retrospective analysis on data contained in our data warehouse on the incidence of respiratory dysfunction in the post-operative care unit (PACU) before and after the introduction of sugammadex into clinical practice.
     • Develop a list of clinical best practices designed to prevent postoperative respiratory complications.
     • Implement a perioperative decisions support system to encourage performance of pulmonary best practices in high risk patients undergoing surgery.

Education

At UCLA Health, our mission is to deliver leading-edge patient care, research, and education, and our Ronald Reagan Medical Center Trauma and Adult Multi-Specialty Division is exemplary of this. Working 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, our residents provide outstanding care for patients under the direct supervision of our dedicated faculty in one of the premiere anesthesiology training programs in the country. Residents gain a unique perspective in this setting and develop clinical, communication, and professional skills that prepare them for academic and private sector work in the most demanding settings. This is an especially important opportunity for our senior residents, who serve as invaluable resources for physicians in all specialties, whether it be assisting with airway management, stabilizing critically ill patients, or helping to optimize patients for surgery.