Dr. J. Arthur Saus M.D.
Anesthesiologist | Pain Medicine
Rating
2/5
About
J. Arthur Saus, MD, FASA, is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport, LA. Dr. Saus teaches Anesthesiology Residents, Medical Students, and and Nurse Anesthesia Students, and supervises Nurse Anesthetists who administer anesthesia to patients for their surgical procedure. During surgery, he ensures the safety of patients who are undergo anesthesia administration for surgery and assures their safe recovery from anesthesia. Anesthesiologists specialize in general anesthesia, which will put the patient to sleep for a surgical procedure, 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. Saus along with the Anesthesiology Residents Training at Ochsner LSU Health also help manage a patient's pain after an operation.
Education and Training
Medical University of South Carolina MD 1985
Board Certification
American Board of Anesthesiology
American Board of Pain Medicine
Provider Details
Dr. J. Arthur Saus M.D.'s Expert Contributions
Does anesthesia cause brain damage?
In my opinion, brain damage from administration of agents which cause general anesthesia is extremely rare when those agents are administered by people with the training to do it properly. These people are your Anesthesiologists, Anesthesia Assistants, and Nurse Anesthetists. Administration of anesthetic agents by other people who don't have the adequate training and certification to use them properly would be much more likely to cause brain damage or death. READ MORE
Why was son confrontational after anesthesia?
One of the first effects of anesthesia is to reduce a patient's inhibitions, and those inhibitions may not return immediately at the completion of anesthesia. Even though enough anesthesia has "worn off" for a patient to again be "awake", that doesn't mean all the anesthetic agent has gone. Even though more modern inhalation anesthetic drugs leave the body more rapidly than they did many years ago, a patient is still exhaling anesthesia agents for many hours afterwards, If a patient has combative or violent tendencies, by taking away the inhibitions that keep these tendencies "in check", it is more likely they will be demonstrated for a while. READ MORE
Is local anesthesia sometimes used for transplant surgery?
A kidney transplant is a major operation. It is unlikely this could be accomplished with a local anesthetic. You should expect a general anesthetic will be the type of anesthesia used for this procedure. READ MORE
Is there a difference between local and regional anesthesia?
The answer actually depends on what is meant by the question. The pharmacologic agents (i.e. drugs) used to create numbness in a part of the body are generally classified as "local" or "regional" anesthetic agents. Whether they act as local or regional anesthetics however depends on the manner in which they are administered. Anesthesiologists can take a bottle of one of these agents, and inject it rather superficially in the skin, and create a "local" anesthetic", which would numb the skin, and maybe a bit of an area around where it was injected. This would be a true"local anesthetic". On the other hand, the same drug could be administered deeper around the nerves going to a part of the body, and create numbness in an entire region, such as an entire arm or hand, or foot, or leg. In this case, it would be considered a true regional anesthetic, or "regional block", as the numbness would be accomplished in a region of the body, instead of just in a highly localized area. READ MORE
Is it possible to be allergic to anesthesia?
Although it seems just about anything is possible, the gases used for general anesthesia now are very unlikely to be anything which would trigger a true allergic reaction an a patient. READ MORE
Are there any food restrictions after anesthesia?
Some people get very nauseated when trying to eat or drink anything shortly after anesthesia. Some people do not seem to exhibit any nausea at all. In the recovery process however, the nurses will generally want to verify that the patient is able to as least bring some liquids and not get nauseated prior to release form the hospital or other facility where the procedure is done. Although there will probably be a recommendation to take it easy with food for the rest of the day following the administration of anesthesia, there is no specific food that is generally restricted after anesthesia administration. The best advice is use some common sense, and pay attention to what your body is telling you. If you are ready to eat after anesthesia, start with a small amount of something easily digested such as crackers. If no nausea occurs within a few hours, progress to small amount of other foods, and again verify that eating them does not cause nausea. Simple carbohydrates and clear liquids empty from the stomach rather rapidly (generally, within a couple of hours), while fatty foods stay in the stomach longer, are more difficult to digest, and are more likely to cause nausea and vomiting after administration of anesthesia. READ MORE
Do I need anesthesia to get my chipped teeth fixed?
Although some people may be able to tolerate dental repair without anesthesia, I wouldn't recommend it. Generally, dental repair on teeth without anesthesia is an extremely painful experience. It is best to discuss whether anesthesia is needed or not with your dentist before beginning the repair process. READ MORE
My son dislocated his shoulder. Is anesthesia needed for the repair?
Although it depends on the exact circumstances, putting the shoulder back into place will probably require heavy sedation or general anesthesia. With an injury such as you describe, the muscles around the joint strongly contract (or go into spasm) when the joint is disrupted. Administration of anesthesia will help those muscles relax, and will facilitate getting the shoulder back into joint correctly, and will a lot less effort and pain. READ MORE
How are children usually given anesthesia?
Depending on the age, size, and cooperation of the child, in some instances anesthesia can be started by breathing anesthetic gas. in general this is not done for adults or larger or older (school age) children. The onset of the anesthesia state demonstrates a more rapid onset when started by an IV route, instead of an inhalation route. It is that state of being "in between" awake and aware vs. deeply asleep that is the more dangerous time in the administration of anesthesia and is generally referred to as "Stage 2". Anesthesiologists and Nurse Anesthetists know this is a more dangerous time, and prefer to get a patient through this as rapidly as possible. This is the primary reason administration of an IV drug is the preferred manner of beginning the anesthesia, as the patient can pass through stage 2 within a few seconds, instead of taking a few minutes to pass through this stage that occurs with anesthesia induction by inhalation of an anesthesia gas. READ MORE
How long does it take for lidcaine to wear off?
Although there are individual variations, a local injection of lidocaine generally lasts up to approximately 4 hours. However, if the lidocaine was mixed with another anesthetic, or a vasoconstrictor such as epinephrine, the duration of the numbness can be significantly prolonged READ MORE
Areas of expertise and specialization
Faculty Titles & Positions
- Associate Professor LSU Health 2018 - 2018
Professional Memberships
- American Society of Anesthesiologists
Areas of research
Examination of the production of pain occasionally experienced with administration of PropofolDr. J. Arthur Saus M.D.'s reviews
Write ReviewPatient Experience with Dr. Saus
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