Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsGeneral AnesthesiaLocal AnesthesiaRegional AnesthesiaSedationHow to Prepare For AnesthesiaTips For Recovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
General Anesthesia
Local Anesthesia
Regional Anesthesia
Sedation
How to Prepare For Anesthesia
Tips For Recovery
Anesthesia is commonly characterized into four main types:
The choice of anesthesia depends on factors such as the procedure, the individual’s health, and preferences.
Getty Images / kupicoo
General anesthesiais used for major operations, including (but not limited to):
It is the strongest and the most frequently used type of anesthesia.
Ananesthesiologistadministers the anesthesia through a mask or an intravenous line (IV) placed in the vein.
During general anesthesia, you will be unconscious, and many of the body’s functions will slow down and need support to work effectively.A tube may be placed in the throat to help you breathe. During surgery, the anesthesiologist will monitor the your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and other vital signs.
When the surgery is complete, the anesthesiologist will reverse the medication and continually monitor your breathing, circulation, and oxygen levels.
Some people may feel side effects from the medication. The anesthesiologist will help you manage these symptoms.
What Is an Anesthesiologist?Anesthesiologists are healthcare professionals who administer anesthesia and monitor the procedure to ensure maximum medical care with minimal side effects.Meeting with your anesthesiologist before the procedure is advisable. Discuss your medical history, medications, and lifestyle. This information helps the specialist take steps to lower the risk of side effects.
What Is an Anesthesiologist?
Anesthesiologists are healthcare professionals who administer anesthesia and monitor the procedure to ensure maximum medical care with minimal side effects.Meeting with your anesthesiologist before the procedure is advisable. Discuss your medical history, medications, and lifestyle. This information helps the specialist take steps to lower the risk of side effects.
Anesthesiologists are healthcare professionals who administer anesthesia and monitor the procedure to ensure maximum medical care with minimal side effects.
Meeting with your anesthesiologist before the procedure is advisable. Discuss your medical history, medications, and lifestyle. This information helps the specialist take steps to lower the risk of side effects.
Side Effects
Side effects of general anesthesia include:
These side effects may go away after some time.
Risks
Rarely, general anesthesia can cause more severe complications. Some risks are present and include:
Local anesthesianumbs a small part of the body. It might be used for procedures such as pulling a tooth, performing a skin biopsy, repairing a broken bone, or stitching a deep wound.
In local anesthesia, you are awake and alert and may feel some pressure, but you won’t feel pain.
Local anesthesia is the least likely to cause side effects. However, you may feel sore or experience itching at the injection site.
Regional anesthesianumbs a large part of the body, such as an arm, a leg, or from the waist down. The anesthetic is delivered through an injection or small tube called a catheter. You may be awake or given sedation during the surgical procedure.
Regional anesthesia includes spinal blocks and epidurals and is often used for childbirth and minor surgeries:
The risks and benefits of regional anesthesia should be assessed individually.
Fortunately, severe complications, including spinal cord damage, vertebral cord hematoma, and epidural abscess (infection between the bones of the spine and the membrane of the spinal cord), are quite rare.
Sedation makes you sleepy and keeps you from feeling pain. It is also known as monitored anesthesia. There are different levels of sedation. Some people are drowsy but awake and can talk. However, others fall asleep and don’t remember the procedure.
Sedation has fewer side effects than general anesthesia and generally goes away quickly. Some common side effects include:
Severe complications are rare, but they can be a risk factor and include:
Your anesthesiologist will meet you a day before the procedure to discuss all pertinent medical information, such as:
If you’re getting general anesthesia, your healthcare provider will ask you to stop eating and drinking six to eight hours before the procedure.
Anesthesia relaxes the muscles of the stomach and throat, which can cause food to back up and get into the lungs. An empty stomach helps prevent this.
The American Association of Anesthesiologists' guidance suggests that you can drink sugar-free, clear liquids, like water, for up to two hours before the surgery.
Your healthcare provider may tell you not to use certain medications a few days or more before your surgery due to potential interactions with the drugs used for anesthesia. These include blood thinners such as Plavix (clopidogrel) and Jantoven (warfarin) and NSAIDs like aspirin and Advil (ibuprofen).
Recovery from anesthesia varies depending on the type of surgery and the type of anesthesia given. The following are the different stages of recovery from anesthesia.
General anesthesia typically requires a longer recovery time than other types of anesthesia.
After the surgery, an anesthesiologist reverses the medication. The person will be shifted to a recovery room. A healthcare professional will continue to monitor breathing, heart function, and vital signs in the recovery room.
Some people feel sleepy as the anesthesia wears off. Others may have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, chills, or a sore throat from a tube that helped breathing during surgery.
A discharge from the hospital will depend on the type of surgery you had and the time to recover. You may continue to be sleepy, and your judgment and reflexes may take time to return to normal.
For other anesthetics, the recovery process is as follows:
Summary
Different types of anesthesia are used to remove pain and sensation during surgery or other medical procedures. They work on brain and spinal cord nerves to achieve a loss of sensation.
Anesthetics are medications used to achieve anesthesia, and the specialist administering them is called the anesthesiologist. Anesthesia is classified into four main types: general, local, regional, and sedation.
The selection of anesthesia type and its mode of administration can depend on several factors, such as the procedure, individual factors (like certain health conditions), and preferences.
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Cancer Institute.Anesthesia.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.General anesthesia.
Guglielminotti J, Landau R, Li G.Adverse events and factors associated with potentially avoidable use of general anesthesia in cesarean deliveries.Anesthesiology. 2019;130(6):912-922. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000002629.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Local anesthesia.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Regional anesthesia.
MedlinePlus.Spinal and epidural anesthesia.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Anesthesia risks.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.IV/monitored sedation.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.
Seo KH.Perioperative glucocorticoid management based on current evidence.Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2021;16(1):8-15. doi: 10.17085/apm.20089
MedlinePlus.Preparing for surgery when you have diabetes.
MedlinePlus.The night before your surgery.
MedlinePlus.Recovery.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Recovery.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
