General anesthesia acts deeply as a sedative in the person, so the consciousness, sensitivity and reflexes of the body are lost, so that surgeries are performed without feeling pain or discomfort during the procedure.
It can be injected intravenously, immediately, or inhaled through a mask, reaching the bloodstream after passing through the lungs. The duration of its effect is determined by the anesthetist, who decides the type, dose and amount of the anesthetic drug.
- However.
- General anesthesia is not always the first choice for surgeries.
- Reserving for larger and longer surgeries.
- Such as abdominal.
- Thoracic or cardiac surgeries; in other cases.
- Anesthesia of a single part of the body.
- Such as the local part.
- May be indicated.
- In case of dermatological surgery or tooth extraction.
- Or epidural anesthesia.
- For births or gynecological surgeries.
- For example.
- Know the main types of anesthesia and when to use it.
General anesthesia can be performed intravenously or by inhalation, and there is no better type than the other, and the choice will depend on the potency of the drug for the type of surgery, the anesthetist’s preference or availability in the hospital.
Several types of medications are used, which are usually combined, in addition to leaving the person unconscious, causing insensitivity to pain, muscle relaxation and amnesia, so that everything that happens during surgery is forgotten by the person.
This anesthesia is performed by inhaling gases containing anesthetic drugs, so it takes a few minutes to take effect, as the drug must first pass through the lungs until it reaches the bloodstream and then into the brain.
The concentration and amount of inhaled gas is determined by the anaesthetist, depending on the time of the surgery, which can range from a few minutes to several hours, and the sensitivity of each person to the drug.
To reduce the effect of anesthesia, gas release should be stopped, as the body naturally eliminates anesthetics, which are found in the lungs and bloodstream, through the liver or kidneys.
This type of anesthesia is done by injecting the anesthetic medicine directly into the vein, causing almost immediate sedation.The depth of sedation depends on the type and amount of medication injected by the anesthesiologist, which will also depend on the duration of the surgery, the sensitivity of each person, in addition to age, weight, height and health conditions.
The duration of anesthesia is scheduled by the anaesthetist, depending on the time and type of surgery, and the choice of the drug used for sedation.
The waking time ranges from a few minutes to a few hours after the surgery was finished, different from those used in the past, which lasted all day, since today the drugs are more modern and effective, for example, the anesthesia performed by the doctor.The dentist has a very low dose and lasts a few minutes, while the anesthesia needed for heart surgery can last 10 hours.
To perform any type of anesthesia it is important that the patient is monitored, with devices to measure heart rate, blood pressure and breathing, since, because sedation can be very deep, it is important to monitor the functioning of vital signs..
Some people may experience side effects during or even a few hours later, such as nausea, vomiting, headaches and allergies to the active ingredient of the drug.
More serious complications, such as shortness of breath, cardiac arrest or neurological damage, are rare, but can occur in people in very poor health, due to malnutrition, heart, lung or kidney disease, and who use many illicit drugs or drugs.for example Example.
It is even rarer that anesthesia has a partial effect, such as a withdrawal of consciousness, but that allows the person to move, or even vice versa, when the person cannot move, but can feel the events around them.