What is Anesthesia?
Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical purposes. It may include analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), amnesia (loss of memory), or unconsciousness. A patient under the effects of anesthetic drugs is referred to as being anesthetized. Anesthesia enables the painless performance of medical procedures that would otherwise cause severe or intolerable pain to an unanesthetized patient, or would otherwise be technically unfeasible.
What are the categories of Anesthesia?
- General anesthesia suppresses central nervous system activity and results in unconsciousness and total lack of sensation. A patient receiving general anesthesia can lose consciousness with either intravenous agents or inhalation agents.
- Sedation suppresses the central nervous system to a lesser degree, inhibiting both anxiety and creation of long-term memories without resulting in unconsciousness.
- Regional and local anesthesia, which blocks transmission of nerve impulses from a specific part of the body. Depending on the situation, this may be used either on its own (in which case the patient remains conscious), or in combination with general anesthesia or sedation. Drugs can be targeted at peripheral nerves to anesthetize an isolated part of the body only, such as numbing a tooth for dental work or using a nerve block to inhibit sensation in an entire limb. Alternatively, epidural, spinal anesthesia, or a combined technique can be performed in the region of the central nervous system itself, suppressing all incoming sensation from nerves outside the area of the block.
Our Anesthesia Doctors in Pune
Frequently Asked Questions
Your anesthesiologist makes sure your vital signs – blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and oxygen levels – are stable throughout the surgery. He or she also manages your level of consciousness and sleep during the procedure.
Common side effects include headache, pain at the injection site, and nausea and vomiting. Many of these risks are mitigated through our anesthetic approaches, more specifically regional anesthesia.
You will be given specific instructions about eating and drinking by the nurse who contacts you the day before your surgery. You should refrain from eating at least eight hours before your scheduled procedure to reduce side effects
It is vital to inform your anesthesiologist of any allergies you may have. Your providers need to know what you are allergic to and how you react to those allergens.
Any operation can hurt, but the anesthesiologist will provide pain relief for the expected duration of severe pain.
