Anesthesia AudioHealth Library Topic 2500 Anesthesia Anesthesia literally means without pain, and is a medication that is used before an operation to keep the person undergoing the operation from feeling any pain. He or she feels no pain and usually has no memory of the procedure. General anesthesia can be given in a gas through a mask that is placed over the nose and mouth, or it can be injected into a vein. Local and regional anesthesia causes a small area of the body to become numb, so it won't feel pain, but does not cause the patient to fall asleep.
Most local anesthesia is given by injection under the skin.
Regional anesthesia is often called spinal, epidural, or nerve block anesthesia. In spinal and epidural anesthesia a drug is injected through a small tube, which is inserted into the base of the back and it blocks all sensation from the lower body. Nerve blocks are an injection of anesthetic around the nerves responsible for feeling in that limb or area of the body. The type of anesthesia used depends on the type of surgery to be performed. For example, general anesthesia normally is used for major surgeries that involve internal organs.