When Aaron Zuckerberg, M.D., was a young child, he faced one of the most unnerving procedures that anyone – much less a kid – could endure: a spinal tap. The memory stays with him to this day.For all the wrong reasons.
“I remember thinking, ‘This needle is bigger than a baseball bat,’ and it hurt a whole lot,” Dr. Zuckerberg says.
The experience was so powerful, in fact, that Dr. Zuckerberg suspects it may be the reason why he’s doing what he does today: making the hospital experience a less scary one, and a less painful one, for children.
As an anesthesiologist at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and a specialist in pediatric care, Dr. Zuckerberg is on the cutting edge of a movement to deliver anesthesiology in a whole new way, outside of the operating room and in a calm, warm, caring environment.
The idea of providing these services outside the operating room is called remote anesthesiology, and its use – especially the unique ways it’s practiced by Dr. Zuckerberg – could help make the hospital a happier place for kids in years to come.
“Our goal is to be kid-friendly, parent-friendly and, for the surgeons, very user-friendly,” Dr. Zuckerberg says.
Patients who come to Dr. Zuckerberg face any number of health problems. Some are young children who need spinal taps on a frequent basis, while others are developmentally disabled adults who need dental work or gynecological exams. Other common procedures that may involve remote anesthesia are radiotherapy, endoscopies and lithotripsy.
Dr. Zuckerberg’s team will go to any length to ease a patient’s worries – even if it means getting some help from an outsider, and even if that outsider doesn’t actually exist.
Like, for example, SpongeBob SquarePants.
The popular cartoon hero is everywhere in the remote anesthesiology department, from the television to the walls to the lanyard that Dr. Zuckerberg wears around his neck; and the sight of their lovable spongy friend is enough to put many nervous children at ease.
When it comes time for the anesthesia to be delivered, these young patients can relax, sit with their parents and watch cartoons.
“We create a place that is similar to what they would have at home. And because of that, we’re able to ease the anxiety for not only the children but the parents as well,” Dr. Zuckerberg says.
Although many university hospitals around the country now have pediatric remote anesthesiology programs, and the practices Sinai is putting to use are increasingly common, Dr. Zuckerberg says the team approach taken by the doctors and nurses in his office makes Sinai a uniquely comforting atmosphere.
Some patients become so comfortable with the staff, in fact, that they begin to treat their doctors and nurses like friends – or even family.
“One of the best rewards is when we see a child leaving, and they don’t want to leave,” Dr. Zuckerberg admits. “They came to us, and they were hesitant about coming, scared of the potential for a painful procedure, and then they actually don’t want to leave us. That tells us we did a good job.”
And it's not just his patients Dr. Zuckerberg worries about. In November, he traveled to Israel to take part in Wheels of Love, a 300 mile, five day bike ride to raise money for the Alyn Hospital in Israel. Dr. Zuckerberg raised $11,000.
So parents: What experiences have you had with pediatric anesthesiologists? Were hospital staff able to meet your expectations?
1 comment:
Dr. Zuckerberg is exactly who this article says he is. When my son, Joshua, was sick at another hospital, Dr. Zuckerberg and his team were dispatched to come transport Joshua to the PICU at Sinai. From the moment we met him, Dr.Zuckerberg AND his staff put us at ease. Joshua required frequent PICU stays during his short life, and Dr.Zuckerberg and the staff were just as the article says, almost family. I cannot thank Dr.Zuckerberg or the PICU team for loving and caring for Joshua AND me, the way that they did. Joshua died in 2001, but the momories of the care provided to him at Sinai and especially by Dr.Zuckerberg still remain comforting. Thank you.
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