Anesthesia
Anesthesia is used to control pain during certain surgery and medical procedures. To be effective, it uses various medicines, and often requires close monitoring by a trained professional. It can also be used to control breathing, as well as blood pressure, heart rate, heart rhythm, and even blood flow.
Anesthesia is often used to:
- Relax the patient
- Block any pain
- Make the patient sleep
- Make the patient unconscious for his or her surgery
Anesthesia: The Types
Local anesthesia is often used to numb a small area of the body. Most often, the patient gets an injection of anesthetic. This is shot directly into the treatment or surgical area and can block pain. A local is used for minor procedures. Patients will remain awake during the injection and the following procedure. Patients may also get medication to relax them.
Regional anesthesia is used to block larger areas of the body. The anesthetic will be injected near the major nerves or into the spinal cord. Patients often get medicine that will help them to relax or go to sleep. Major means of delivering regional anesthesia include:
- Peripheral nerve blocks. In simple terms, a nerve block begins with an injection of anesthetic near some very specific nerve or close to a group of nerves. The drug blocks pain only in the area of the body that is supplied by the injected nerve. These nerve blocks are used most often in procedures for the hands, feet, arms, legs, or face.
- Epidural spinal anesthesia. These blocks begin with an injection of anesthetic located very near the nerves or spinal cord. They can block pain in an entire region and are often used for belly, legs, and hips.
General anesthesia is used to affect the brain in addition to body. The drug can be administered through a vein, or it can be inhaled. With general anesthesia, patients are asleep and unaware of what is happening. They do not experience any pain during their surgery. In some cases, general anesthesia is used to causes the patient to forget the surgery as well as the immediate time just after it.
Determining the anesthesia to be used
Several factors determine the type anesthesia that will be used:
- Your current state of health as well as past health issues will be considered. The doctor must also consider any other surgeries that you may have had, along with health issues you may like heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease. Your family history will also be taken account, especially any family members who may have experienced allergic reactions to anesthetics and other medicines.
- The purpose of your surgery as well as the type of surgery will be taken into account.
- Tests results, like blood tests or EEGs, will also be a factor.
The risks of anesthesia
For most healthy people, major side effects from anesthesia are not common. However, all anesthesia procedures will have some risk. The specific risks will depend on the anesthesia that is used as well as your health, and the way that you respond to any medicines that are used
The side effects of anesthesia
It is possible for some of the side effects of anesthesia to last many hours even after the surgery. For those who had a local or a regional anesthesia, there may be some numbness at the surgery site. In some cases, muscle control as well as muscle coordination may be affected.
Some of the other side effects that you may experience after anesthesia may include but are limited to:
- Vomiting and nausea is often a side effect. For most people, this only last a short time and it can be treated.
- Minor decrease in body temperature. Some people may feel cold or may experience some shivering when they first wake up.
