Dr. Kara Eberhardt, MD

Dr. Eberhardt listened to my concerns about my intense nausea and pain after a very recent previous surgery. I was so anxious about experiencing that again I did not feel great about going into surgery before talking to her. She looked at what was used before and used different meds. Abdominal surgery is notorious for causing nausea but my experience under her care was a WORLD of difference from the previous doctor. The person who left a negative review may not be aware that general anesthesia requires intubation. Doctors can sometimes make patients more nervous by saying too much. It can be difficult to judge how much to say RIGHT before surgery. If the patient had not consented to the intubation she likely would not have received the surgery. Even short surgeries require a little bit of rehab for the lungs. That has nothing to do with the vocal cords being damaged. My throat was not sore at all after my surgery with her. Excellent care.

Dr. Eberhardt is "no nonsense" and thorough. However, her explanation of the anesthesia procedure was lacking in essential details. She explained that there would be an injection into the IV before going to the OR. That part was clear. There would also be "gases" administered. No explanation of the type of gases or the risks of anesthesia in general. But what I didn't know and she did not explain is that the gases are administered in one of two ways, mask or intubated. She didn't give me a choice. Had she given me the choice, I would have insisted/demanded the mask. I am a professional opera singer. Intubation damages the vocal chords. The last time I was intubated 18 years ago during a heart attack, it was emergency conditions and understandable. It took 3 YEARS of hard work just to get my voice back and another year to bring it back to professional quality. Make sure you get the full explanation of EVERY step of the procedure.