The different types of anaesthesia

General Anesthesia

General anesthesia is a way to put a person into an artificial deep sleep by administering certain drugs. In doing so, consciousness and the sensation of pain are completely switched off. General anesthesia is used for surgical procedures that require the patient not to experience the procedure.

Anesthesia is performed by an anesthesiologist, who is called an anesthesiologist in medical terminology. In a preliminary consultation, the anaesthetist also informs the patient about the exact procedure and the risks of anaesthesia. Afterwards the patient has to sign this information and thus agrees.

The drugs used not only put the patient into a deep sleep, but also lead to paralysis of the muscles. A distinction is made between inhalation anesthesia via a respiratory mask and intravenous anesthesia, in which drugs are applied via the vein. Since breathing can no longer be performed by the patient himself due to the muscle paralysis, it is necessary to ventilate the anesthetized patient through the mouth or nose (tube) using a ventilation hose. During the entire anaesthesia, circulatory parameters such as blood pressure, pulse and oxygen saturation are measured and monitored by the anaesthetist. This ensures that the patient is well and that no complications go undetected.

Anesthesia with a laryngeal mask

General anesthesia can be performed with a tube as well as with a larynx mask. It is a popular alternative for short-term operations, which significantly reduces the risks for the patient. Laryngeal masks are available in different sizes, so that in many clinics they are also used for newborns or infants.

Such a gentle procedure is very advantageous as an anaesthetic for children. In this type of anesthesia, no tube is pushed through the vocal cords, but a correspondingly large mask is placed on the larynx. The throat is hermetically sealed by the inflation and the gases cannot escape but reach the lungs.

This form of general anesthesia often offers better tolerability. The introduction is much easier and there is no risk of vocal cord injuries or damage to the teeth. Side effects such as hoarseness after the operation can also be largely avoided.

It is very well suited for difficult anatomical intubation conditions and ensures the oxygen supply to the lungs. Spinal anaesthesia is also known as lumbar anaesthesia. It is a form of regional anesthesia to specifically eliminate nerves starting from the spinal cord and thus eliminate the sensation of pain in a specific region of the body.

Since nerves run from the legs, arms and trunk to the brain via the spinal cord, larger areas can be anaesthetised very easily without the need for a general anaesthetic. Drugs, especially local anesthetics, are injected into the cerebrospinal fluid space (subarachnoid space) of the spinal cord. For this purpose, the skin is numbed and finally the doctor inserts a needle between the vertebral bodies up to the hard skin of the spinal cord.

After the skin is punctured, the needle is in the cerebrospinal fluid space, which can be checked by drawing cerebrospinal fluid into the syringe. Depending on where the anesthetic is to be applied, the anesthetic is injected at a different height of the spinal cord. This method is often used for operations on the legs, abdomen and pelvis.

It is also used in obstetrics to relieve the pain of a natural birth or a caesarean section. The advantage of this method is that it is quickly effective and reduces the risks of general anesthesia. However, the patient should also be informed about possible complications such as bleeding, bruising, injury to nerves, paraesthesia or inflammation of a spinal anesthetic.