Facility Walnut Creek Medical Center Department of Anesthesia Address Walnut Creek Site 1425 S. Main Street Hospital Central - 2nd Floor Walnut Creek CA 94596 Martinez Site 200 Muir Rd. Martinez CA 94553 Pleasanton Site 7601 Stoneridge Dr. Pleasanton CA 94588 Antioch Site - Deer Valley 4501 Sand Creek Rd. Antioch CA 94531 Telephone Appt/Advice: Walnut Creek - (925) 295-4739 Appt/Advice: Martinez - (925) 295-4739 Appt/Advice: Antioch - (925) 295-4739 Appt/Advice: Pleasanton - (925) 295-4739 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

Hours

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Closed	7:30 am 4:00 pm	7:30 am 4:00 pm	7:30 am 4:00 pm	7:30 am 4:00 pm	7:30 am 4:00 pm	Closed

Welcome to My Home Page!

Introduction

• Size
• Team Approach
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• Visit the Anesthesia Department page

About Me

When people are scheduled for surgery, they are frequently anxious about the anesthesia they will receive. One of the best websites on Anesthesia safety can be found by clicking on this link. A thorough discussion of some of the most frequently asked questions about anesthesia can be found there, in addition to special sections on a variety of topics like when your child needs anesthesia, planning your childbirth or frequently asked questions about Labor Epidurals, or anesthesia and sleep apnea. The most frequent cause for cancellation of a planned surgery is the patient has eaten too close to the time of surgery. If you have forgotten your instructions on not eating prior to surgery, this link will provide you with the Guidelines for not eating prior to surgery.

For patients I am seeing for epidural steroid injections quite a bit of information on Low Back Pain can be found in the Kaiser Health Encyclopedia.

Another website with extensive information on low back pain and epidurals can be found at this link. To see an animation of what is involved with an epidural steroid injection, please click here. Although fluoroscopy (live x-ray) is recommended on this particular website, the increased radiation exposure of fluoroscopy is rarely required for successful epidural placement in the hands of an experienced anesthesiologist in the majority of patients. However, patients who have had extensive back surgery or trauma to their spine may benefit from fluoroscopic (live x-ray) epidural placement, which is available through the Anesthesia Pain Clinic in Martinez.

If you have already had an appointment made for you for an epidural steroid injection and would like a copy of our Department's handout on Epidural Steroid Injections, please click on epidural handout or epidural frequently asked questions.

I grew up for the most part in Texas, although I've lived in several states and spent approximately 10 years in Germany. I have had the privilege of practicing at Kaiser Permanente since 1999. I'm a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Medical Association, Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, and American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.

In addition to working at Kaiser Permanente, I also enjoy spending time at home and gardening. My yard was featured in the February 2003 edition of Sunset Magazine in the article 2003 Western Garden Design Awards. I also enjoy riding my bike to work whenever the weather allows. It's not strenuous riding, but it is important for everyone's health to stay as active as possible.

My Credentials

Medical school	Medizinische Fakultat, Universitat Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Internship	Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY
Residency	Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY
Board certification	Anesthesiology, American Board of Anesthesiology

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.