What is general anesthesia?
General anesthesia is called general anesthesia. General anesthesia is a procedure in which the patient is put into an artificial deep sleep and the consciousness and many natural reactions of the body are switched off. Independent breathing is also suppressed so that the patient has to be artificially ventilated. In addition, the sensation of pain is switched off in order to be able to perform major surgical procedures. The alternative to general anesthesia (general anesthesia) is local anesthesia (local anesthesia), in which only the area to be operated is anesthetized.
Introduction
General anesthesia can be initiated in two ways. This can be done with anaesthetic gas or with an anaesthetic agent which is injected into a vein and thus directly into the bloodstream. In both ways of induction, different drugs (anaesthetics) are administered to fulfil the various tasks of anaesthesia.
These can be divided into three groups. Loss of consciousness: So-called hypnotics cause signals to be transmitted in the brain that lead to deep sleep. Pain suppression: Very strong painkillers (e.g. opioids) ensure that the surgical procedure can be performed without pain.
In addition, the painkillers lead to a reduced retentiveness (amnesia).
- Loss of consciousness: So-called hypnotics cause signals to be transmitted in the brain, which lead to deep sleep.
- Pain suppression: Very strong painkillers (e.g. opioids) ensure that the surgical procedure can be performed without pain. In addition, the painkillers lead to a reduced retentiveness (amnesia).
- Muscle slackening: So-called muscle relaxants cause paralysis, which disappears again after the end of the anaesthesia. However, these drugs have no effect on the central nervous system.
What are the risks?
Before general anesthesia, the current health status is determined in addition to existing allergies, i.e. the patient is asked whether he or she is currently suffering from an illness, such as flu or cold. In the case of a severe cold and flu, one would forego general anesthesia and either, if possible, perform the procedure with another anesthesia method or cancel the procedure completely. The reason why it is necessary to consider whether or not general anesthesia can be used in the case of a severe cold is because the mucous membranes of the nose and throat swell up during a cold (the reason why there is a lot of mucus in the nose and the nose feels like it is blocked).
Under general anesthesia, where breathing must be ensured, swelling of the mucous membranes in this area would mean an additional risk, which one would like to avoid. The relocation of the respiratory tract during anesthesia is a serious complication of anesthesia and makes further drug treatment by decongestant measures necessary. Another risk factor for a cold is that the body is in a state of illness, i.e. the immune system is working at full capacity. However, the immune system is 100% needed during surgery to maintain the necessary defensive reactions. The risk of developing an infection during and after the operation is therefore higher if the immune system is working at full capacity.
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