When Cloe Woke Up, She Had No Idea She’d Been Saved Three Times
Cloe Martinez gripped her husband’s hand as the surgical team wheeled her toward the operating room. At 34, she never imagined she’d need emergency surgery, but a ruptured appendix doesn’t wait for convenient timing. As the automatic doors opened, a calm voice introduced itself: “Hi Cloe, I’m Dr. James Chen, your anesthesiologist. I’ll be taking care of you throughout your surgery.”
Cloe barely remembers nodding before drifting into unconsciousness. What she doesn’t remember, what most patients never know, is the intricate dance that happened while she slept.
While the surgical team worked on Cloe’s appendix, Dr. Chen’s eyes never left his monitors. Heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide levels, temperature, and dozens of data points flowing in real time. Fifteen minutes into the procedure, Cloe’s blood pressure began to drop. Not dramatically, but enough.
Dr. Chen’s hands moved swiftly, adjusting medications, repositioning the IV line. Within ninety seconds, Cloe’s vitals stabilized. The surgeons, focused on their work, barely noticed. That was the first time Dr. Chen saved Cloe’s life that morning.
Twenty minutes later, he noticed a subtle irregularity in her breathing pattern, something the machines hadn’t flagged yet. He adjusted the ventilator settings. Crisis averted before it became a crisis.
Near the end of the procedure, Cloe’s body began showing early signs of an allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics. Dr. Chen caught it immediately, switched medications, and administered antihistamines. The third save. All before Cloe even knew there was danger.
When Cloe woke up in recovery, groggy but comfortable, she thanked the surgical team profusely. Dr. Chen stopped by briefly to check on her. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Great, actually. I can’t believe it’s already over. You guys made it look easy.”
Dr. Chen smiled. That was the biggest compliment she could give, even if she didn’t know it.
As he walked back to the OR for his next case, he thought about the three moments that morning when everything could have gone wrong. The moments Cloe would never know about. The moments that define his profession.
That’s the paradox of anesthesiology: the better you are at your job, the less dramatic it seems.
World Anesthesia Day, celebrated on October 16th, marks the anniversary of the first successful public demonstration of ether anesthesia in 1846. It’s a day to recognize the professionals who’ve transformed surgery from a terrifying ordeal into a managed, safe process.
But every day should be a day to appreciate and recruit these essential specialists.
If you’re an anesthesiologist, CRNA, or anesthesia assistant looking for your next opportunity, or if you’re a facility struggling to fill critical anesthesia positions, the challenge is real, but so is the impact.
Because somewhere today, someone like Cloe will go into surgery nervous and afraid. And someone like Dr. Chen will be there, watching, managing, protecting, making sure that when she wakes up, everything looks easy.
That’s not magic. That’s anesthesia.
Are you an anesthesia professional exploring new opportunities? Or a healthcare facility seeking to build your anesthesia team? Connect with us today to discover how we can help you find the perfect match in this critical specialty.
