What is anaesthesia?
“Anaesthesia” means without feeling, and is what is necessary when someone has to undergo a surgical operation or some other painful procedure on the body. “Analgesia” means without pain. |
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Is anaesthesia safe?
Modern anaesthesia has become a very safe procedure, considerably safer than travelling in your car. |
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Types of anaesthesia and your choice
When you need an operation there is often a choice of what sort of anaesthetic is needed to enable the surgeon to perform the operation. |
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Local anaesthesia
This is the simplest form of anaesthesia. |
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A general anaesthetic
General anaesthesia consists of three parts: narcosis, analgesia and muscle relaxation. |
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Conscious sedation
This is a very light form of anaesthesia where the patient does not even lose consciousness. |
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Epidural and spinal anaesthesia
Local anaesthetic applied to the space around the spinal cord (an epidural) or injected into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord (a spinal) will anaesthetise a large area of the lower body depending on how much is injected and where it is injected. |
