Anesthesiology

Anesthesia provides freedom from pain and is an important part of a patient’s operation. Anesthesia not only relieves pain, but can also make the operation safer. There are several types of anesthesiology.

General Anesthesia is the most common type of anesthesia for surgery. Patients are in a sleep state during the surgery and experience no pain nor remember little about the surgery or recovery period. There are several methods of giving general anesthesia. Many anesthetic drugs are now available, and they help make anesthesia safer than ever before. The selection of which drugs are used are based on a patient’s physical condition and the type of surgery. Usually general anesthesia is administered by injecting medicines into a vein.

Regional Anesthesia is used to numb only a specific part of the body. A local anesthetic (numbing medicine) is injected into the area, where it blocks pain sensations. There are many types of regional anesthesia. The most common are: spinal, epidural, and Bier blocks.

Monitored Anesthesia means a surgeon will use a local anesthetic (numbing medicine) in the area of surgery. Continuous monitoring is provided to assure safety and medicines may be given to ensure the patient rests comfortably while the surgeon works.