What is Anesthesia? What are the Anesthesia Methods?
Anesthesia is a word that means loss of sensation. Drugs that cause anesthesia are anesthetics.
Anesthesia is a word that means loss of sensation. Drugs that cause anesthesia are anesthetics. Anesthetic drugs are used to anesthetize certain parts of the body, numb or put the patient to sleep during surgeries or some necessary tests. It allows medical procedures to be performed that would cause pain and therefore could not be performed if they were performed without anesthesia, and offers patients comfortable diagnosis and treatment.
Among various anesthetics, the most well-known are; local and general anesthesia:
Local anesthesia; It is a type of anesthesia in which a small area of the body is anesthetized and the patient remains completely conscious and aware of what is happening around him. This type of anesthesia is generally preferred for use during minor procedures.
General anesthesia; It is a type of anesthesia in which the patient is completely unconscious, put to sleep and completely unaware of the procedure being performed. This type of anesthesia is usually used when larger operations need to be performed.
Physicians’ methods of administering anesthesia also vary depending on the location needed and the operation. The physician may perform various procedures depending on the type of anesthesia needed. These applications:
Injection,
inhalation,
Topical Lotion,
spray,
In the form of Eye Drops or
It can be listed as anesthesia with Skin Tape.
What are the anesthesia methods?
The anesthesia your specialist chooses to use depends on the type and extent of the procedure to be performed. After presenting you with possible options and informing you, your physician will tell you the anesthesia method required for the planned surgery or diagnostic test. Anesthesia methods you may encounter can be listed as follows:
Local anesthesia: This type of anesthesia numbs a small part of the body. Physicians often use this type of anesthesia for minor procedures such as cataract surgery or skin biopsy. During the procedure, the patient is conscious, that is, the patient is awake.
Sedation: Also called “twilight sleep”. Sedation works by relaxing the patient to the point where they begin to doze off. If it is necessary to communicate with the patient during the procedure, the patient may wake up. Procedures in which sedation is frequently preferred include wisdom tooth extraction, cardiac catheterization, and some colonoscopies. Because this anesthetic helps the patient sleep, the patient may not remember the procedure after the procedure.
Regional anesthesia: Unlike local anesthesia, this anesthesia prevents pain in a larger part of the patient’s body. For example; Epidural anesthesia to relieve birth pain or arm block used for hand surgery are regional anesthesia. It can also be applied in addition to sedation.
General anesthesia: In this type of anesthesia, the patient becomes unconscious. General anesthesia makes the person insensitive to pain or other stimuli. It is very useful for major surgeries or procedures.
The specialist physician may use different types of anesthesia in combination if he deems it appropriate for the situation. For example, a regional anesthesia can be used along with general anesthesia to deal with the pain problem after a surgery.
What is pre-anesthesia evaluation?
Before the anesthesia procedure, the anesthesiologist conducts an interview in which he obtains information from the patient. During this interview, he asks about the patient’s medical history and what medications, if any, he uses. Generally, the following information is needed to evaluate the patient before anesthesia:
Whether the patient has allergies or not,
The patient; Whether there are systemic health problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, liver or kidney disease, sleep apnea or thyroid disorders, and if so, how long these problems have been going on,
Presence of problems affecting the respiratory system such as asthma, COPD, bronchitis and similar,
The patient’s use of NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs), steroid drugs, insulin or oral hypoglycemics,
Whether there is numbness or weakness in the patient’s arms or legs, which gives information about the circulatory system,
Whether the patient has a known bleeding problem,
Pregnancy status of the patient and
Whether anyone has had an allergic reaction to anesthetic drugs in the past is a frequently asked question before anesthesia.
Before the surgery, you can share your questions and concerns with your doctor about the surgery, the recovery process of the surgery, or the anesthesia to be applied. In this way, you will enter the operation knowing what to expect from anesthesia and surgery.
What is Spinal Anesthesia?
Spinal anesthesia is an anesthesia method that numbs the mother’s body from the waist down during cesarean births. In spinal anesthesia, the healthcare professional applies anesthetic medication from the waist to the spinal cord. The anesthetic effect begins as soon as the drug is administered. The duration of action is not very long and the anesthetic material can be applied only once. If you have questions about what type of anesthesia to use before cesarean delivery, you may consider consulting your follow-up gynecologist.
Who cannot undergo anesthesia?
The specialist physician can decide for which patients anesthesia is suitable. The patient’s condition, the magnitude of the operation or procedure, the patient’s medical history, and similar factors influence the physician’s decision. Therefore, if you have questions about anesthesia, you can contact the nearest health institution.
