Post by Eve Glazier MD MBA

Will I wake up during surgery? It's one of the most common fears patients carry into an operating room, and it's rarely talked about openly. In the newest episode of UCLA Health Medically Speaking, I sit down with Dr. Prince Neelankavil, anesthesiologist at UCLA Health, to change that. Dr. Neelankavil shared what first drew him into the field: watching his own mother go through heart bypass surgery and realizing the gift her anesthesiologist gave his family by getting her through it safely. That experience shaped how he thinks about every patient he cares for today. We talk about why the pre-op phone call matters more than most people realize, how something as simple as a supplement or a medication like Ozempic can change an entire anesthesia plan, and why he describes his role as a condensed form of primary care, getting to know a patient as a whole person in the days surrounding surgery, not just managing medication in the moment. 🎙️ “With You the Whole Time: What to Know About Anesthesia” is now live. Watch and listen here: 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gDed6Cvx 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gq-8huU8 🍏 Apple: https://lnkd.in/gQiE_Yyr #UCLAHealth #MedicallySpeaking #Anesthesiology #PatientEducation #Anesthesiologist #Medicine #Surgery