ANESTHESIA

What is anesthesia?

It is insensitivity to pain induced by the administration of the drugs before surgical operation. it is a medical treatment that prevent patient from felling pain during surgery.  medicine used in this called anesthetics. depending of the pain, doctors gives anesthetics by injection, topical lotion, spray, inhalation, eye drop or skin patches.



What are the types of Anesthesia ?

There are mainly 3 types of anesthesia. 

1. General anesthesia:

It is used to operate major surgeries like open heart surgeries, brain surgery, back surgery and organ transplant. these are time consuming procedures. general anesthesia affect the whole body which make patient unconscious and unable to move.

General anesthetics can deliver either directly to the blood stream by intravenously or as an inhaled gases. Intravenously delivered GE act quickly and disappear rapidly from the body. inhaled anesthetics may take longer time to wear off.

2. Local anesthesia:

It is used to block pain in a part of the body. in this anesthetics patient stay conscious and comfortable and patient may go home soon after surgery.

Local anesthetics used for small part of the body like single tooth. it is generally used in dentistry, eye surgeries such as cataract removal.

3. Regional anesthesia:

Regional anesthetics used for the larger areas such as an arm, a leg or everything below the waist. it is used for the hand and joint surgeries, during a C- section delivery. 

What are the side affects of anesthesia?

anesthesia is generally safe but there can be risk specially with general anesthesia 

  • breathing problem
  • dangerously low blood pressure 
  • allergic reactions
  • malignant hyperthermia 
  • post operative delirium or cognitive dysfunction means long term memory and learning problem. it is most common in older patients. 

Risk factors to anesthesia  

  • Diabetes
  • Heart diseases(angina, heart failure or previous heart attack)
  • allergies to anesthesia 
  • kidney problems 
  • lung conditions 
  • high blood pressure 
  • obesity 
  • stroke 
  • seizures 
  • Parkinson's disease 
  • Alzheimer disease
  • smoking and drinking  

Anesthesiologist

This is a doctor who is specializes in giving anesthesia. anesthesiologist carefully monitor unconscious patients vital signs throughout the surgery and adjust the amount of anesthetics they receive.