Wednesday 3 July 2013

The Different Types Of Anesthesia

By Lila Barry


Anaesthesia is a condition where there is a blockage of sensations temporarily. This is usually done during a surgery to ensure that the patient does not feel any pain during the surgery. Depending on the kind of surgery one is going to be having and the area where one will be operated, there are different types of anesthesia in the market.

A doctor may consider using local anaesthesia. This type is usually suitable where the patient is undergoing a minor surgery. Usually it can be injected or be applied onto the area where the doctor would want numb. As its name suggest, it is local therefore it numbs only the area that has been injected only unlike others that can numb the whole body.

The other common kind is known as regional anaesthesia. When using this one, a drug is applied to a cluster of nerves. This leads to the numbing of a larger part of the body for example below the waist. This type is specifically used to ensure the patient is comfortable during the surgical procedure and after the operation.

Another type that might be of use to make sure that the individual is totally unconscious throughout the surgical treatment is general anaesthesia. When the doctor administers this anaesthesia, the patient is usually unconscious throughout the operation and when they wake up, they often have no memory of what might have happened. This type of anesthesia could be given to a patient through inhalation of gases by breathing via a mask or placing a needle straight into a vein.

Other kinds of anaesthesia are caudal anaesthesia. This type can be used by doctors on areas round the legs, buttocks, within the inner thighs and the area between your legs. It is just another type of regional anaesthesia as it is usually injected onto a place where there is a group of nerves and the whole area will be numb.

Other types of regional anaesthesia that are used frequently include IV regional and interscalene block. Since they function differently, each is administered on a specific part of the body. For instance, the interscalene block is used on areas like the arm and shoulders while the IV regional one is normally used on the arm or leg.

Spinal anaesthesia is another kind that a doctor can use. It is normally used to numb a patient from their abdomen to the feet. This is usually done during procedures like childbirth or the removal of the appendix.

All the various types of anesthesia are suitable for use by doctors. Depending on the kind of surgery you have, you will be given a specific anaesthesia. There are usually various ways of administering the drug like inhaling of the vapor or by being injected into the vein. Before any type of anaesthesia is used, it may be important for the doctor to know if the patient is allergic to any kind of anaesthesia. This will prevent cases where people react negatively when injected with the drug.




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