A Guide to Anesthesia

One of the most common fears that patients have prior to any surgical procedure is anesthesia, therefore I wanted to practically inform you on the different forms of anesthesia practices. Every surgery has different sedation prerequisites, so it is important to discuss all the available options with your physician.

Three Primary Anesthesia Methods:

General Anesthesia

This is a state of total unconsciousness resulting from general anesthetic drugs. A variety of drugs are given to the patient that have different effects with the overall aim of ensuring unconsciousness, amnesia and analgesia. The anesthesiologist will select the optimal technique for your procedure.

Regional Anesthesia

Regional anesthesia is anesthesia affecting only a large part of the body, such as a limb. Regional anesthetic techniques can be divided into central and peripheral techniques. Regional anesthesia generally involves the introduction of local anesthetics to block the nerve supply to a specific part of the body, such as a limb, so patients cannot feel pain.

Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia is any technique to render part of the body insensitive to pain without affecting consciousness. It allows patients to undergo surgical procedures with reduced pain and distress.