MD For Moms Radio, Every Wednesday 1pm (ET) on The BBM Global Network, TuneIn and iHeartRadio or as a podcast on iTunes.
This week on MD for Moms, I’ll be interviewing Dr. Rita Agarwal, a pediatric anesthesiologist, about pain control in kids and Dr. Kristin Ondecko Ligda, an adult anesthesiologist, about adult pain control.
Parents strive to protect children from unnecessary discomfort and pain, while also preventing unnecessary exposure to potentially scary medications. When should children be given more than Tylenol after an accident? How about after a procedure like surgery? What is the most appropriate way to manage children during dental procedures? Our show will help parents navigate these tricky questions and many more to maximize children’s pain control and also improve safety.
The opioid epidemic is big news these days – what are the causes and are there any solutions? We will discuss the appropriate use of opioids and other modalities for pain control in adults, and when it is appropriate to take an opioid and when it may not be. Another topic will be whether a mom-to-be can eat prior to delivering her baby. Women are always asked to be ‘NPO,’ meaning not to eat or drink, upon arrival on Labor and Delivery, but why and is there a medical justification?
Learn more about my guests:
Rita Agarwal, MD – Pediatric Anesthesiologist
Dr. Rita Agarwal:
Rita Agarwal MD Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, Stanford, Past Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.
Dr. Agarwal did her training at Baylor College of Medicine and University of Colorado She spent over 20 years at the Children’s Hospital of Colorado and the University of Colorado, where she was the Pediatric Anesthesiology Program Director and the Director for Pediatric Anesthesia Education. She has served on the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Board of Directors and is one the founders of the Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine (SPPM) and is currently Vice President of the Society. Her interests include acute pain management in children, safe sedation and anesthesia in children in all areas including dental offices, neuroanesthesia, and education.
She was been on the forefront of the American Academy of Pediatrics efforts to educate pediatricians, pediatric specialists, other healthcare providers and families on the safe use, storage and disposal of opioids and other controlled medications. More recently she has worked with the AAP, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, and other organizations to improve sedation and anesthesia for children undergoing dental procedures.
Dr. Kristin Ondecko Ligda –
Adult Anesthesiologist
Dr. Kristin Ondecko Ligda:
Kristin Ondecko Ligda, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Director of Anesthesiology Education at UPMC Mercy Hospital. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Spanish at Washington & Jefferson College where she was a Presidential Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She then graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine with her Doctor of Medicine degree. She was a Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholar and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed an Internal Medicine-Preliminary internship at VCUSOM and Anesthesiology residency and Acute Pain and Regional Anesthesiology Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is a Delegate for the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists and is a founder of several Facebook groups dedicated to the support, mentorship and networking of physician mothers, including the Physician Anesthesiologist Mom Group. Dr. Ondecko Ligda was recently named one of the Top 40 Physicians under 40 for the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
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