Spinal vs. general anesthesia
These two types of anaesthesia are often recommended for patients undergoing surgery in the lower half of the body. But which one should he choose?Both methods have advantages and disadvantages which result from the different approaches to anesthesia. In spinal anaesthesia, the anaesthetic is injected into the liquor in the area of the lumbar spine.
This liquor flows around the nerve fibers of the spinal cord, so that the anesthesia sets in quickly and ensures local freedom from pain and immobility. It is important in spinal anesthesia that the patient is completely awake. This has the advantage that the patient can cooperate during the operation if necessary and can easily communicate his condition.
At the same time, however, this is also a disadvantage, as most patients are reluctant to witness an operation on their own body. In severe cases this can lead to psychological damage. With general anesthesia, the patient does not notice anything about the operation.
With this method, the patient is administered an anaesthetic either intravenously or via a gas into the lungs before the operation. This ensures painlessness, sleep and amnesia. This means that the patient forgets everything that happened shortly after the operation.
This makes the procedure much easier, especially for anxious people. Since the body slows down breathing during general anesthesia, the patient must be ventilated during the operation. This is usually done via a thin tube (tube), which is inserted into the trachea via the mouth or nose.
Often a drug is given beforehand to relax the larynx. This prevents injuries to the vocal chords or the upper respiratory tract. Nevertheless, gums, teeth or the vocal chords can be injured during intubation.
During the operation the anesthesiologist continuously monitors the status of the anesthesia, as well as pulse, blood pressure and oxygen level. Depending on the situation, he or she can react to irregularities with various medications. Shortly before the end of the operation, the anesthesiologist reduces the amount of anesthetic so that the patient slowly wakes up.
Due to the amnesia, the patient does not notice the removal of the tube and the operating room. In summary, spinal anesthesia is the variant with far fewer complications. However, for many patients, the fact that they are still awake during the procedure and actively witness the operation is reason enough to decide in favor of general anesthesia.
