Even if things went well, the patient woke up groggy and nauseated. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center say the science of anesthesia has improved in recent years. Doctors are better trained, and monitoring techniques have improved, so complications from anesthesia are much rarer. The drugs themselves have improved, with reduced nausea after surgery and better management of post-surgical pain. Depending on the kind of surgery you're having, there are different kinds of anesthesia.
General anesthesia is used for major surgeries and leaves a patient completely unconscious.
A regional anesthetic is administered near major nerves, like the spinal cord. This is often used for Caesarean sections or childbirth. Local anesthetic only numbs the area to be worked on. It's often used for stitches to repair cuts. Before you have any kind of surgery, discuss your anesthesia options with your physician.