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anesthesia quick
glossary
what is anesthesia?
who administers anesthesia?
who gets what type
of anesthesia?
local anesthesia:
topical, cold, cream
local anesthesia:
injection, tumescent, ring block, regional block
IV sedation / monitored
anesthesia care
general anesthesia
stages of general
anesthesia
preparing for anesthesia
anesthesia and herbal
drug interactions
anesthesia and prescription
drug interactions
post-anesthesia
guidelines
anesthesia fees
Types of Anesthesia
GENERAL
General Anesthesia is a method of facilitating deeper
anesthesia that is used for more complex or longer operations.
With general anesthesia, the patient is unconscious
and does not see, hear, or feel anything.It provides
pain relief, muscle relaxation, and amnesia (so that
you don't remember the details surrounding surgery)
all at the same time. This is accomplished using IV
or inhaled medications.
Unlike IV sedation, general anesthesia does not require
that injections of local anesthesia be used as well.
During the procedure, you will be monitored by the anesthesia
specialist for changes in heart rate, blood pressure,
oxygen and carbon dioxide blood levels, and heart rhythm
(with an EKG monitor).
General anesthesia offers many advantages, but does
have considerable disadvantages as well. The main advantage
is that it allows the patient to remain motionless for
long periods of time and allows the surgeon to operate
on multiple or large areas of the body without having
to stop and inject more local anesthetic.
There is, however, an increased risk of side effects
such as nausea, vomiting, sore throat, shivering, disorientation,
and a longer recovery period, as well as an increased
risk of complications such as heart attack, stroke,
or death.
Although the medication dosage is always adjusted for
variations in weight and health status, the risk for
complications increases when patients have medical problems
such as heart or lung disease, obesity, malnutrition
(common with anorexics) or liver damage.
To Next Section -
Stages of General Anesthesia
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