Surgery is one of the most stressful experiences many of us will ever have to undergo. So, it can seem rather cruel that one of our best sources of comfort —food — is denied to us in the lead-up to surgical procedures. But as we explain in this post, going “NPO” (aka nothing-by-mouth), is critical for a safe and successful procedure.

GLP-1 medications have shaken up health care, including anesthesia practices.

But over the past few years, new research has revealed that stopping GLP-1 medications ahead of sedation isn't as simple as one size fits all. Why a patient is taking these medications, the specific drug and its dosage, and when the patient started the medication all play a role in deciding how a patient on these medications needs to prepare for their procedure. Learn more in this patient education article.

In honour of Earth Day 2026, we’re sharing this essay by third-year medical student Josephine Lu Bing Liu. Earlier this year, while tackling her anesthesia rotation, she asked her senior a simple question — why sevoflurane over isoflurane or desflurane? The answer she received led her to dig deeper into anesthesia’s care impact on the environmental and discover the “…compelling and empowering intersection between anesthesia practice and planetary health.”

Dr. David Neilipovitz, now the Chair and Head of the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at the University of Ottawa and at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), has long been an advocate for bringing team-based anesthesia care to Ontario.

To wrap up 2025, we spoke with Dr. Neilipovitz about how TOH is expanding team-based care and what that means for patients and the future of anesthesia care in Ontario. 

While Ontario’s Anesthesiologists only officially started using the phrase "team-based anesthesia care" in spring 2025, the concept has over two decades of made-in-Ontario practice behind it.

Learn more about this history in this post that features a Q&A with our section vice-chair, Dr. Sylvie Aucoin, an Ottawa-based anesthesiologist and long-time TBAC supporter.

Ontario's Anesthesiologists believes that expanding the use of team-based anesthesia care will benefit our members, our patients, and Ontario's health-care system. In this quick Q&A, OA Chair Dr. Cindy Wang explains how and why we're advocating for this model. 

In September, Ontario’s government announced a new deal with the province’s doctors. While all physicians were awarded an increase in compensation, additional targeted investments were announced for a select group of specialties, including anesthesiology.  

So, what exactly does this mean for our members and our patients? In a quick Q&A, our tariff chair, Dr. Eric Goldszmidt, explains what comes next.

As the former chief of anesthesia at Bluewater Health, Dr. Barbara Bertram faced an aging population, a hospital-wide cyberattack and a global pandemic. But her most frustrating challenge faced as chief: “Recruitment.”

In late 2023, Ontario anesthesiologist Dr. Viren Naik stepped into what he thought would be his last clinical shift at The Ottawa Hospital. He was ready for a new professional challenge as Chief Executive Officer at the Medical Council of Canada. But a year later, Ontario’s anesthesia human resource challenges pulled him back into the OR, demonstrating how this problem is now even impacting large, academic hospitals.

By popular request, we chatted with the recipient of our 2024 Distinguished Service Award (DSA) Dr. Jonathan (Jon) Hooper and learned about his outstanding background in humanitarian work.

Anesthesiologists are experts in administering sedation for colonoscopies, one of the more common medical screening procedures performed in this country. We’ve put together this post to provide some clarity around your or your loved one’s upcoming colonoscopy sedation journey.

Are you or a loved one about to undergo general anesthesia? Do you have any questions or concerns about this upcoming GA experience? Then this post is for you!

Anesthesiology may be among the medical world’s most misunderstood fields. In our final blog post for 2023, we explore a few common anesthesia myths and look at if they are true, false or somewhere in between.

In honour of September being Pain Awareness month, we’re highlighting how anesthesiologists are the medical world’s experts in pain management.

Learn about the Team-Based Anesthesia Care (TBAC) model and how investing more resources into it will benefit Ontario’s health-care system, including reducing the surgical backlog.

Ontario’s Anesthesiologists is working to make operating rooms and hospitals more environmentally friendly through the work of our Environmental Sustainability Working Group. Learn how we’re making a difference and how you can help!

Since 1846, anesthesiologists have been providing safety and comfort to patients. Learn more in this quick post that explores what exactly anesthesiologists do inside and outside the OR.

We’re excited to announce our new blog series, aimed at showcasing anesthesiologists and just what exactly it is that they do.

In 2021, there were over 5,350 opioid related deaths in Canada, a 50% increase when compared to 2019 and an unfortunate new record for this country. During the COVID pandemic, we also saw an acceleration of the opioid crisis in many provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, which all saw record numbers of opioid-related deaths in 2021.

The origins of this crisis are complex, but we know that interwoven with the opioid epidemic is another health care crisis: Suboptimal pain management.

Ontario’s Anesthesiologists aspires for anesthesiologists to have visible and inspiring leadership within the health system and to be an influential voice in all aspects of care provided by anesthesiologists. One of our key goals is to solidify our place as valued and important contributors of the health system and ensure our voice reaches key decision-making tables to benefit both patients and providers.