Types Of Anesthesia That Doctors Use During Surgery

By Krystal Branch


Advances in the medical field have seen surgical procedures to be painless contrary to what used to be the case some years back. There are many different types of anesthesia used in the health centers these days. Drugs for making treatment procedure painless are injected into the whole body or to a particular part of the body. These drugs make the make the area numb so that the patient will not have any sense of feeling as the procedure is undertaken.

These procedures are not only used on humans but also on animals. The medicine stop sensations on that particular area where it has been injected. Once the patient has been treated with this medicine, they tend to sleep throughout the procedure. Once surgery or any other treatment procedure has been completed, the patient wake up from the deep sleep, and they remember feeling no pain. The anesthetic procedure that the doctor will depend on the area where they are going to be used as well as the time surgery is going not to mention the health history of the patient.

An example of these drugs used is the local anesthetic. It is administered to patients in a small part of their body where the surgical procedure is to be done. It is used when extracting a painful tooth by injecting it in the gums to kill the pain. These anesthetic options are used for outpatients needs and their effect lasts for a very little time. People who are experiencing this drug are always awake but some are given sedative if need be.

The general anesthetic drugs are used when the operations is taking many hours to complete. When they are used, they make a person fall asleep to avoid feeling anything as it is being done. It also stops their memories. In most cases, it is administered as IV. There are instances where patients are made to inhale them as gases. Surgeries that require one to be in an uncomfortable position need this drug.

Like any other drug, the general anesthetic has its side effects to your health. However, they are manageable. The complications will depend on the person lifestyle: for example, if they smoke or take alcohol. Also it is determined by ones body condition, and the type of medications they frequently use and blood thinning chemicals in their body. Other rare complications that have been observed include lung cancer, heart failures and stroke but it is uncommon for people to die after being administered with it.

Another category is the regional drugs. These drugs as suggested by the name, are applied to larger areas which require an operation especially where the local anesthetic will not work well. They are further subdivided into sections. They can be applied in the area surrounding nerves and it is preferred in parts around the limbs and face.

For those who are to undergo abdomen operations and c-section, the spinal block is used in the injection process. However, these are known to cause headache and spinal aches. Some patients who have been injected face respiration depressions.

The doctor should recommend the types of anesthesia which they know will work well and have little side effects on the patient. It is important to understand that the body reacts to them differently. Others will experience it in ways like feeling fatigue and others will lose their memory shortly.




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