Anesthesiologist shortage leads to delays in some surgeries at Keene hospital

Cheshire Medical Center in Keene has had to postpone some elective surgeries due to a shortage of anesthesiologists, a spokesperson said.

The Dartmouth Health affiliate is hiring and onboarding new providers to “solve this problem” over the next three weeks, according to spokesperson Matthew Barone. He did not specify how many anesthesiologists would be added to the staff.

He said Cheshire Medical will begin offering surgeries on Saturdays to help improve patients’ access to this care.

Urgent and emergency surgeries are still being performed daily when they’re needed, Barone said.

“Cheshire continues to balance operating access and staffing every day — this is just standard operating procedures in a tight labor market,” he said in a written statement.

Barone did not answer questions about how long the staff shortage has been affecting elective surgeries, when the hospital expects elective surgeries to regularly begin again, or how many patients have been affected.

Cheshire Medical’s need for anesthesiologists is reflective of hospitals across the country.

Nearly 3,000 anesthesiologists left the workforce from 2021 to 2022, according to a report from Definitive Healthcare, which tracks health data and analytics. Of those still working in the field, nearly 57% are 55 or older, data from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows.

The shortage’s cause is similar to that of other health care fields, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating burnout and stress, research suggests.

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