Tubal Reversal Blog ‘anesthesia’

Dr. Caryn M. Hertz – Director of Anesthesia

Caryn M. Hertz, MD is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist and has worked in the field for over 20 years. She has devoted her professional career to the subspecialty of ambulatory (outpatient) anesthesia. She has been working with Dr. Gary Berger at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center since 1995.

Originally from Queens, New York, Dr. Hertz attended college at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, graduate school at The University of Pennsylvania, and medical school at the University of Rochester. She completed her residency in anesthesiology at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston (a Harvard affiliate) and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After finishing her residency, she was employed at Duke University Medical Center for 5 years, specializing in preoperative assessment and ambulatory surgery. Dr Hertz has worked at Chapel Hill Surgical Center ever since.

Dr. Hertz says, “I am dedicated to making each patient’s surgery comfortable and safe. Working regularly with Dr. Berger has enabled me to truly optimize and continually improve the Tubal Ligation Reversal experience for our patients.”

Dr. Hertz and her family have lived in Chapel Hill since 1989. Having relocated from the Northeast, they very much enjoyed the mild weather, beautiful environment, and remarkable community here in Chapel Hill.

Dr. Berger’s Comment

One of the many things that makes tubal reversal surgery safe and comfortable at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center is the close coordination among the professional staff who work together every day. This makes the tubal reversal procedure go smoothly and without any unnecessary waste of time for the patient who is under anesthesia. It is like a finely tuned orchestra, with each player knowing exactly what the other is doing. This coordinated team work comes only with constant repetition. The surgical and anesthesia staff at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center practice together each day, and doing four procedures a day allows us to work toward the goal of perfection in patient care. It is the goal that we all strive for each day, with each patient, and each tubal ligation reversal. Other doctors and nurses who have visited our facility are amazed at how quickly patients recover from their operations.

Why Some Patients Choose To Have Screening Laparoscopy

Tubal ligation procedures vary in the severity of injury occurring to the fallopian tubes. Although most tubal ligations are reversible, there are some cases where tubal reversal is not possible. If the operative report from your tubal ligation indicates there may be a problem in repairing the remaining tubal segments, or if you cannot get a copy of your operative report, you may be interested in the screening laparoscopy option offered at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center.

With this option, your surgery begins with diagnostic laparoscopy to examine your fallopian tubes. If tubal repair is possible, tubal reversal is performed immediately while you are under anesthesia. That way you do not have to undergo anesthesia and surgery on two separate occasions.

If tubal reversal is not possible, the operation is concluded with just the diagnostic laparoscopy. There is an additional charge of $1000 to add the screening laparoscopy, but with this option you will receive almost half of the total surgery fee in refund should tubal repair not be performed. The “laparoscopy package” is excellent insurance in situations when the method of tubal ligation is unknown.

Screening laparoscopy is available to patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 30 who are interested in more assurance regarding the outcome of the reversal surgery. It is recommended – but not required – in cases where the amount of tube remaining is questionable, such as after monopolar tubal coagulation at multiple sites along the tube.

If you have questions about the laparoscopy option, you can discuss them with Dr. Berger and the Tubal Reversal nurses during your preoperative consultation.