Safe anesthesia involves very potent drugs and close patient monitoring. In Minnesota anesthesia is considered as the practice of medicine. In metropolitan Minnesota, as in most of the United States, an anesthesia care team usually delivers anesthesia. The anesthesia care team provides approximately ninety percent of all anesthetics in Minnesota. In some rural areas in Minnesota, because an anesthesiologist may not be available, the surgeon serves as the supervisor.
General anesthesia makes a patient unconscious and insensible to any feeling.
The decision depends on many factors, including patient preference. While most surgical procedures can be performed under general anesthesia, many types of surgery allow a choice of local or general anesthesia. A Cesarean section is a common example. Local anesthesia is not necessarily safer than general, and it is best to discuss the choices with your anesthesiologist. The demands of surgery and patient's medical conditions may determine that one technique is better.