Anaesthesiology is, essentially, a medically induced coma, not sleep.

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Anaesthesiology is, essentially, a medically induced coma, not sleep. Drugs render a patient unresponsive and unconscious.

They are normally administered intravenously (IV) or inhaled. Under general anesthesia, the patient is unable to feel pain and may also have amnesia.

The drugs will be administered by an Anaesthesiology or nurse anesthetist, a specially trained doctor or nurse who will also monitor a patient’s vital signs and rate of breathing during the procedure.

General anesthetics have been widely used in surgery since 1842, when Crawford Long administered diethyl ether to a patient and performed the first painless operation.

In this article, we will cover a number of topics, including the potential side effects of general anesthesia, associated risks and some theories regarding their mode of action.

Some individuals may experience none, others a few. None of the side effects are particularly long-lasting and tend to occur straight after the anesthesia.

Overall, general anesthesia is very safe. Even particularly ill patients can be safely anesthetized. It is the surgical procedure itself which offers the most risk.

Regional anesthesia is another type. This numbs an entire portion of the body – the lower half, for example, during childbirth. There are two main forms of regional anesthesia: Spinal anesthetic and epidural anesthetic.

Spinal anesthetic is used for surgeries of the lower limbs and abdomen. This is injected into the lower back and numbs the lower body. 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.