Anesthesia is a medical procedure with which the physical sensation of pain and certain functions of the body are switched off. It is used to perform surgical procedures or diagnostic procedures painlessly for the patient.
What is anesthesia?
Unlike local anesthesia, in which the elimination of pain involves only specific regions of the body, general anesthesia does not awaken the patient until the anesthetic wears off. There are several types of anesthesia, the best known being general anesthesia (general anesthesia), local anesthesia (local anesthesia), and regional anesthesia (anesthesia of larger areas). The term anesthesia comes from the Greek and is composed of the words an – without and aisthesis – sensation. Anesthesia is used to produce insensibility and thus freedom from pain, either throughout the body or locally. Anesthesia is performed by a specialist, the anesthesiologist. The absence of pain is achieved by administering drugs, in the form of injections into the vein or into specific nerve tracts, or by administering anesthetic gases. With general anesthesia, complete unconsciousness occurs so that the patient is unaware of the medical procedures; with local and regional anesthesia, the patient is awake but feels no pain.
Function, effect, use, and goals
Anesthesia is used whenever treatments or diagnostic tests would cause pain. This is the case during surgical procedures, certain diagnostic procedures, childbirth, and pain management. Operations are performed under local or general anesthesia, depending on the extent and duration of the procedure. For diagnostic purposes, anesthesia is used for procedures such as endoscopy (reflection = insertion of a camera into organs) or angiography (injection of contrast medium into the vessels of the heart). The course of childbirth is made easier with the help of epidural anesthesia (PDA), since labor is no longer felt due to the anesthesia. But it is also used for cesarean sections to allow the expectant mother to experience birth while conscious. Finally, anesthesia is also used in the treatment of chronic pain conditions. By means of drug pumps inserted into the body, painkillers are permanently delivered into the body, allowing the patient to be pain-free. General anesthesia, or general anesthesia, uses a variety of medications to turn off pain sensation throughout the body and render the patient completely unconscious. The components are analgesic, anesthetic and relaxing substances. They prevent pain, put the patient into a kind of deep sleep and make the muscles go limp. If longer procedures take place, a tube (breathing tube) is inserted into the trachea during general anesthesia to ensure adequate breathing on a permanent basis. During the operation, the anesthesiologist constantly monitors the patient’s bodily functions and regulates the strength of the anesthesia accordingly. In local anesthesia, limited areas of the body are anesthetized so that pain can no longer be perceived there. The patient remains conscious and motor function continues. If, for example, a wound on the hand needs to be sutured, the doctor can specifically anesthetize with medication the nerves that are responsible for the supply and thus for the perception of this area. Dentists also use local anesthesia to treat teeth by injecting the anesthetic only into the nerve of the affected tooth. Regional anesthesia numbs a larger area of the body than local anesthesia does. In peridural anesthesia, for example, the numbing agent is injected into what is called the peridural space, preventing pain sensation throughout the lower body.
Dangers and risks
Due to state-of-the-art equipment and well-trained specialists, the dangers associated with anesthesia are very low these days. Nausea and vomiting can occur after general anesthesia due to hypersensitivity on the part of the patient, but usually drugs are already added to the anesthetics as a preventive measure to prevent this side effect.A possible risk during anesthesia with intubation is incorrect positioning of the tube into the esophagus instead of the trachea, but this happens extremely rarely and is usually noticed immediately. Aspiration of any remaining stomach contents is another hazard. To rule this out, patients must not eat any more food before anesthesia. Bruising or infection at the injection site may occur with local and regional anesthesia, and allergic reactions may occur. Injury to nerves is possible and, rarely, cardiac arrhythmias or hypotension may occur.
