Epidural anesthesia is often used to reduce the pain of childbirth and lower limb surgery. This is administered to the area around the spinal cord through a small catheter instead of a needle injection. There are a number of reasons why general anesthesia may be chosen over local anesthesia. In some instances, the patient is asked to choose between general and local anesthetic. However, using general anesthetic poses a higher risk of complications than local anesthesia.
If the surgery is more minor, an individual may choose local as a result, especially if they have a underlying condition, such as sleep apnea. Before general anesthesia is administered, patients will have a pre-surgery assessment to determine the most appropriate drugs to use, the quantities of those drugs and in which combination. It is essential that these questions are answered accurately.
For instance, if a history of alcohol or drug use is not mentioned, an inadequate amount of anesthesia might be given which could lead to dangerously high blood pressure or unintended intraoperative awareness. Modern anesthetics and updated delivery methods have improved the speed of onset, general safety, and recovery, but the four stages remain essentially the same:.
Stage 1, or induction: This phase occurs between the administration of the drug and the loss of consciousness. The patient moves from analgesia without amnesia to analgesia with amnesia. Stage 2, or excitement stage: The period following a loss of consciousness, characterized by excited and delirious activity. Breathing and heart rate becomes erratic, and nausea, pupil dilation, and breath-holding might occur.
Because of irregular breathing and a risk of vomiting, there is a danger of choking. Modern, fast-acting drugs aim to limit the time spent in stage 2 of anesthesia. Stage 3, or surgical anesthesia: Muscles relax, vomiting stops and breathing is depressed. Eye movements slow and then cease. The patient is ready to be operated on. Stage 4, or overdose: Too much medication has been administered, leading to brain stem or medullary suppression.
This results in respiratory and cardiovascular collapse. The exact mechanisms that conspire to produce the state of general anesthesia are not well known.
General anesthesia causes you to lose consciousness. This type of anesthesia, while very safe, is the type most likely to cause side effects. Monitored anesthesia care or IV sedation. For some procedures, you may receive medication that makes you sleepy and keeps you from feeling pain.
Potential side effects of sedation, although there are fewer than with general anesthesia, include headache, nausea, and drowsiness. These side effects usually go away quickly. Local anesthesia. This is the type of anesthesia least likely to cause side effects, and any side effects that do occur are usually minor. You may be sore or experience itching where the medication was injected.
You may be given a different type of anesthetic or a medication to counteract the side effects. Regional anesthesia. Regional anesthesia is a type of pain management for surgery that numbs a large part of the body, such as from the waist down. It may take some time before the effects of the anesthesia are completely gone.
It's important to not do anything for 24 hours that requires attention to detail. This includes going to work, making important decisions, or signing any legal documents.
Serious side effects of general anesthesia are uncommon in people who are otherwise healthy. But because general anesthesia affects the whole body, it is more likely to cause side effects than local or regional anesthesia. Fortunately, most side effects of general anesthesia are minor and can be easily managed. You will be instructed on when to stop eating or drinking before anesthesia so that your stomach is empty. This will help to prevent food from being inhaled aspirated into your lungs.
Be sure to carefully follow the directions you are given. The breathing tube inserted during general anesthesia can also prevent stomach contents from entering your lungs.
After surgery using general anesthesia, a common side effect is nausea and vomiting. Most of the time, this can be treated and doesn't last long. Also, some people have a sore throat or hoarseness from the breathing tube inserted after the person is unconscious.
If you have diabetes, talk with your doctor about any changes to your medications during the fasting period. Usually you won't take oral diabetes medication the morning of your surgery. If you take insulin, your doctor may recommend a reduced dose. If you have sleep apnea, discuss your condition with your doctor. The anesthesiologist or anesthetist will need to carefully monitor your breathing during and after your surgery.
Before you undergo general anesthesia, your anesthesiologist will talk with you and may ask questions about:. Your anesthesiologist usually delivers the anesthesia medications through an intravenous line in your arm. Sometimes you may be given a gas that you breathe from a mask.
Children may prefer to go to sleep with a mask. Once you're asleep, the anesthesiologist may insert a tube into your mouth and down your windpipe. The tube ensures that you get enough oxygen and protects your lungs from blood or other fluids, such as stomach fluids.
You'll be given muscle relaxants before doctors insert the tube to relax the muscles in your windpipe. Your doctor may use other options, such as a laryngeal airway mask, to help manage your breathing during surgery. Someone from the anesthesia care team monitors you continuously while you sleep. He or she will adjust your medications, breathing, temperature, fluids and blood pressure as needed.
Any issues that occur during the surgery are corrected with additional medications, fluids and, sometimes, blood transfusions. When the surgery is complete, the anesthesiologist reverses the medications to wake you up. You'll slowly wake either in the operating room or the recovery room.
You'll probably feel groggy and a little confused when you first wake. You may experience common side effects such as:. You may also experience other side effects after you awaken from anesthesia, such as pain. Your anesthesia care team will ask you about your pain and other side effects. Side effects depend on your individual condition and the type of surgery.
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