Anesthesiology: An Overview
Anesthesiology is the practice of medicine dedicated to patient safety, the relief of pain, and total care of patients before, during and after surgery. Through research and the development of new procedures, physician anesthesiologists have advanced the field, leading to a 50 fold increase in safety over the past 25 years..
There are five main categories of anesthesia used in surgery and medical procedures, each having many forms and uses. They are as follows:
In General Anesthesia, your physician anesthesiologists induces a lack of awareness where you have no awareness or sensations. There are a number of general anesthetic drugs. Some are gases or vapors inhaled through a breathing mask or tube and others are medications introduced through a vein.
In Neuraxial Anesthesia, your physician anesthesiologist makes an injection beneath your spinal cord to numb the area of your lower body from the waist down. You may remain awake or be given a sedative. Either way, you do not feel the surgery taking place. There are two main types of neuraxial anesthesia; spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia. These are most commonly used in Knee Replacement and Obstetrics.
In IV/monitored sedation, sedation and analgesics usually are provided through an IV placed in a vein. It is typically is used for minor surgeries or shorter, less complex procedures when an injection of local anesthetic isn’t sufficient but deeper general anesthesia isn’t necessary.
In Regional Anesthesia, your physician anesthesiologist makes an injection near a cluster of nerves to numb the area of your body that requires surgery. You may remain awake or be given a sedative. Either way, you do not feel the surgery taking place. This technique is most commonly employed to provide post-operative pain relief for 12-36 hours after the procedure has taken place.
In Local Anesthesia, the anesthetic drug is usually injected into the tissue to numb just the location of your body requiring minor surgery or a procedure.
While any of the above forms of anesthesia may be used alone they can also be used in combination. For instance in shoulder surgery General Anesthesia may be employed for the procedure but Regional Anesthesia (Interscalene or Shoulder Block) will be employed to decrease your pain perception for up to 12-36 hours (on average) after the procedure.