The public should be aware that other "providers" besides physician anesthesiologists are administering anesthesia without the public's knowledge. The public as the patients needs to know who is taking care of a very important aspect of their surgery--ensuring their safety while a procedure is performed.

Nurse anesthetists by virtue of their status as nurses are put in a difficult position to question their physician employers by virtue of needing supervision. As exemplified by tragic ocurrence, the nurse anesthetists failed to question orders that compromised patient safety even though they should have.

Physician anesthesiologists by virtue of their education as physicians are in equal footing in knowledge and education as the surgeon/endoscopist to question and cancel any procedure where patient safety is deemed compromised. Not so for the nurse anesthetists who have less education and medical knowledge to question their supervisors.

In the end, let us use this unfortunate incident to encourage the public to ask who is in charge of performing the anesthesia. Always, always, always ask for the qualifications of the person performing the anesthetic and whether this person is a physician anesthesiolists, nurse anesthetist, anesthesiology assistant or sedation nurse.

The first provider has the highest and most complete training. As a patient you need to demand the best because the charge for the service will be the same regardless of who performs your anesthetic so why not pay to have the best at your bedside.

Questions about anesthesiology, visit the following site where you can find all the information you need to know the next time you require sedation or anesthesia:

http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation.ht...

I think it is important to establish the relationship between the nurse anesthestists and Dr. Desai. Were they really his employees or were they independent contractors?