The Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology, part of NYU Langone Health’s Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, is committed to ensuring that all patients have the option to receive safe and effective pain relief during labor. Under the leadership of Igor Muntyan, MD, division director, our educational, research, and clinical services are focused on this mission.

Our Role in Education

Our educational mission is integral to our daily operations. We promote a culture of advanced, evidence-based practices centered on patient satisfaction and experience. To this end, we spend time with each patient to ensure they understand the risks and benefits of their options, answering any questions that may arise.

We lead in situ simulations in labor, delivery, and postpartum venues for other members of the obstetric care team, including obstetricians, obstetric residents, and nurses. These experiences allow us to foster an environment of teamwork and dedication to improvement, which results in expert patient care. The New York Simulation Center reenacts a plethora of clinical cases in real time, with the same sounds and visuals as labor rooms or operating rooms. This allows residents and practitioners to comprehend clinical nuances, bringing newfound precision to patient care.

In addition, our division faculty are dedicated to educating medical students through the Anesthesiology Advanced Elective. We also train physicians in our Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine Residency and offer a comprehensive, one-year Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship. Both are credentialed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Our Role in Research

Our division is focused on advancing research in labor analgesia. As part of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine’s research program, we are studying the effectiveness of varying modern neuraxial techniques, as well as multimodal pain control options after cesarean and vaginal delivery. A focus on research allows our team to maintain knowledge of innovative techniques that can be applied to select clinical scenarios. An example of how research modalities become breakthroughs in patient care is the fetal surgery program at NYU Langone’s Advanced Fetal Care Center. These cases are performed by world-leading experts in the field and are performed with careful collaboration between the surgical and anesthesia teams.

Our Role in Patient Care

The Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology’s philosophy is that all patients should understand their options for pain relief during labor. With this knowledge, patients can then make informed decisions about whether and which type of pain relief they prefer. This approach is consistent with the position of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology: “Labor causes severe pain for many women. There is no other circumstance in which it is considered acceptable for an individual to experience severe pain amenable to safe intervention while the individual is under a physician’s care. … Maternal request is a sufficient medical indication for pain relief during labor.”

Our obstetric anesthesiologists serve as on-site, full-time consultants in the labor and delivery suites at Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, and NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk. We assist our obstetric colleagues in the management of patient care, administer pain relief for labor and for cesarean delivery, and manage emergencies that may arise. Each year, nearly 6,000 women give birth at Tisch Hospital, and more than 80 percent receive epidural pain relief for labor.

Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia for Labor and Delivery

Our obstetric anesthesiologists use patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) during labor. Patients are given control over the amount of medication that they feel is necessary on an individualized, moment-to-moment basis.

An epidural catheter is inserted by the anesthesia team with great care and precision. Once tested, the catheter will automatically and continuously infuse an epidural solution of dilute bupivacaine, fentanyl, and epinephrine. In addition, patients are given a PCEA button, which allows for self-administered, additional doses if necessary.

Labor is a dynamic process. This method allows adjustments to be made in real time, optimizing comfort. Furthermore, at least one anesthesiologist is on-site 24 hours a day, seven days per week to provide additional pain relief and assessment if needed.

Anesthesia Options for Cesarean Delivery

For cesarean delivery, options include spinal anesthesia, combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, or in rare circumstances (i.e., an unexpected need for immediate cesarean delivery), general anesthesia.

Once the anesthetic procedure is performed, our team of expert obstetric anesthesiologists ensure with many tests that adequate and complete comfort is present before proceeding with the C-section. An additional medication, Duramorph, is often given during the neuraxial procedure to provide a significant reduction of pain in the postoperative period, which lasts up to 24 hours. This aligns with our goal of letting our patients enjoy the first moments with their newborn baby in the operating room and in the labor suite afterward.

Contact Us

For more information about our division or clinical services, please email us at DL_OBAnesConsult@NYULangone.org.