Purpose The purpose of this study was to interpret and describe the patient-nurse anesthetist (NA) interaction during regional anesthesia. Design Video recordings conducted during orthopedic surgery at a surgical clinic in Sweden formed the basis for the study, in which three patients and three NAs participated. Methods A hermeneutic analysis was conducted on the data. Finding The findings of the analysis demonstrated that the NA was in either “present” presence or “absent” presence in the awake patient's visual field during surgery. The NA's professional actions at times dominated the patient's existential being in the intraoperative situation. The findings conveyed insights about the patient-NA interaction that open up possibilities for nurses to understand and reflect upon their own practice in an expanded way. Conclusions Using video recordings for reflections enables development of professional skills that positively influence the care quality for patients during regional anesthesia.