Anesthesiology is the practice of blocking pain, discomfort or distress during surgery or an obstetric or diagnostic procedure. An anesthesiologist is specially trained to plan, monitor and administer pain relief before and during an operation, and assess the patient’s condition and recovery afterwards. This specialist consults with patients for pain management, such as cancer patients, and those with critical illnesses or severe injuries.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Anesthesia awareness and Malignant hyperthermia (MH).

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Relaxation, Homeostasis, and Analgesia.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Halothane Caffeine Contracture Test.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Iowa has 365 practicing anesthesiologists. Broken out by city, anesthesiology doctor density in Ames is 10, in Bettendorf is 17, in Boone is 1, in Burlington is 2, in Cedar Falls is 1, in Cedar Rapids is 24, in Clinton is 5, in Council Bluffs is 20, in Davenport is 19, in Des Moines is 82, in Dubuque is 11, in Fort Dodge is 4, in Fort Madison is 1, in Grinnell is 4, in Grundy Center is 7, in Hiawatha is 27, in Iowa City is 139, in Keokuk is 1, in Knoxville is 1, in Marshalltown is 3, in Mason City is 9, in Oelwein is 9, in Onawa is 1, in Ottumwa is 5, in Sioux City is 12, in Sumner is 6, in Toledo is 4, in Waterloo is 21, in West Burlington is 7, and in West Des Moines is 2.

Iowa’s capital is Des Moines, home to Drake University. Iowa achieved Statehood 1846, and the state’s population is now 2,996,334. The Mississippi river borders the state on the east, and a majority of the state’s economic output is agricultural. Many cultural and entertainment opportunities exist for visitors to the “quad cities” of Davenport and Bettendorf, IA, and Rock Island and Moline, IL. Numerous museums, arts, music and sports events are available in Iowa, including the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, the Amana Colonies, and the Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead. Famous people born in Iowa: Buffalo Bill, entertainers Johnny Carson and John Wayne, and former president Herbert Hoover.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Iowa has a population of 2,966,334. Of this population, 656,031 are under the age of 18 and 434,196 are at or above the age of 65.