There are different types of anesthesia. The type used depends on the patient’s medical condition, the type of procedure, the patient’s preference, and what is safe for the patient. The different types of anesthesia include:
Local anesthesia: local anesthesia numbs a small area of the body. It is usually administered as an injection or sometimes a cream. It does not put the patient to sleep. The patient remains awake and alert, but will feel no pain in the area being treated. Local anesthesia is used for minor procedures like stitching a deep cut, removing a mole or cyst, or resetting a broken bone.
Regional anesthesia: regional anesthesia numbs a large area of the body. Just like with local anesthesia, the patient remains awake and aware but feels no pain in the area. Regional anesthesia is usually administered in the nerves that provide feeling for the area to be treated. Two common types of regional anesthesia are epidural and spinal anesthesia.
Spinal anesthesia is used for surgeries involving the lower body such as the pelvic and rectal areas, as well as the lower extremities. It is often used in childbirth or for orthopedic surgeries such as total knee and hip replacements.
Epidural anesthesia is similar to spinal anesthesia and is used for the same types of procedures. The main difference between the epidural anesthesia and the spinal anesthesia is in the administration of the anesthetic. While the spinal anesthesia is a single dose of anesthetic medicine injected into the lower back, epidural anesthesia is a continuous infusion of anesthetic medicine into the lower back through a hollow catheter.
General anesthesia: general anesthesia puts the patient to “sleep.” This is what most people think of first when they are talking about anesthesia. Under general anesthesia, the patient is unconscious and unaware of what is going on. They feel no sensations. General anesthesia can be administered as gas or vapor given through a mask or breathing tube. They can also be administered intravenously through an IV injection. While a patient is under general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist must continuously monitor the patient’s vital signs to make sure they are steady. After the surgical procedure is over, the anesthesiologist reverses the effect of the general anesthesia to awaken the patient and bring them back to consciousness. They must also monitor the patients in recovery to make sure their vital signs are stable.