9 Different Types of Anesthesia
Anesthesia is majorly categorized into 4 categories that a surgeon uses during the surgery or other medical procedures. These 4 categories are: •
General Anesthesia
•
Regional or Local Anesthesia
•
Epidural and Spinal Anesthesia
•
MAC with Conscious Sedation
However, these 4 are further subdivided into different types. Therefore, in total there are 9 types of anesthesia that are used based on the personal medical history of the patient, the type of surgery performed and many more.
So, here in this post, the best anesthesiologists in Chandigarh discuss the 9 different types of anesthesia that would be safe and secure for a surgery or procedure required by the patient. Let’s find some more details below:
General Anesthesia It is a kind of anesthesia that makes the complete body and brain of the patient unconscious (sleep) during which the patient stays unaware of any feeling of the surgery. General anesthesia is injected either by an injection or a breaking mask or at times with both. However, to monitor the patient’s breathing, a flexible tube is inserted down through the windpipe. Moreover, the patient is intubated only when the anesthesia is given and is also removed once he wakes up and starts breathing sufficiently. Although the patient might experience vexation or a sore throat due to intubation.
Regional or Local Anesthesia A local anesthetic injection is given to the patient near the major nerves or spinal cord, which helps in obstructing the pain travelling from a wider area of the body, such as a limb.
It lends a numbing effect to the patient’s operated part for good 8 – 12 hours as per the dosage. It also acts as a muscle relaxant or postoperative pain killer for the patient. Apart from subsiding pain it also curbs other side effects of surgery, for example, nausea. However, at Ojas Hospital, one of the best hospital in Panchkula, the surgeons closely analyze the medical needs of the patient and accordingly provide them with sedatives or anesthesia to help them relax or sleep during the surgery.
Different types of Regional Anesthesia Interscalene Nerve Block It is a local anesthesia that is injected near the nerve block in the neck which further numbs the shoulder and arm. This is particularly used for the upper arm and shoulder surgery.
Axillary Nerve Block Yet another type of local anesthesia that is injected around the nerve that runs through the axilla (armpit) starting from the shoulder to the arm. It numbs both your arm and hand. This type of anesthesia is given when a patient is operated for his elbow, forearm, wrist or hand.
Ankle Block It is a local anesthesia injected around the patient’s ankle to obstruct the 5 nerve branches that are responsible for supplying sensation to the foot. As the name itself suggests, it is used for the ankle, foot or toe surgery.
Bier Block It is yet another kind of local anesthesia that is injected in the nerves to anesthetize the limb, particularly of the arm. Following which a tourniquet is used to avoid the outlet of anesthetic effect from that area. This type of anesthesia is given to patients’ who are operated for their arm or hand or any surgery that lasts not more than an hour.
Femoral Nerve Block Another type of local anesthesia that is injected near the nerve blockage situated in the upper area of the thighs/ groins that numbs the leg from the knee to the hip area. This is specifically used to operate the upper leg, hip or knee.
Epidural Anesthesia This type of anesthesia is given in the lower back/lumbar region of the patient with the help of a needle that is introduced in between the vertebrae of the spinal column, right into the epidural space with the help of a special needle.
Once the needle is inserted, a small tube or catheter is placed into the same space through the needle, following which the needle is removed, leaving the catheter placed there. However, it is then that the local anesthesia or narcotics is given through that catheter. The doctor at the best hospital in Chandigarh employs this kind of anesthesia during labour, caesareans and other surgeries of the colon and gastrointestinal tract.
Spinal Anesthesia Somewhat similar to epidural anesthesia, spinal anesthesia is also given in the lower back/lumbar region of the patient with the help of a special needle. The only difference between the two is that the spinal anesthesia is inserted in the vertebrae of the spinal column into the dural membrane that shelters the spine and nerve roots, unlike that in epidural anesthesia. This type of anesthesia is given to those who are operated for gynecologic (eg. Hysterectomies) and urologic (eg. Prostate) and also for the surgeries of the lower extremities (such as knee surgery).
MAC
(Monitored
Anesthesia
Care)
with
Conscious Sedation It is a type of mild sedative that is introduced into the nerves of the patients to help the, relax and relieve from anxiety while minor procedures, where general anesthesia is not required. In procedures such as biopsies and colonoscopies, require such local anesthesia that numb the surgical part.
Anesthesiologists at the Ojas Hospital We have a team of anesthesiologists in Chandigarh at our hospital. These doctors are quite proficient in administering the anesthesia according to the medical needs of the patients. Being the best hospital in Panchkula, the surgeons at our hospital are experienced enough to understand the personal medical history and the current case study of the patient before giving him any of the aforementioned anesthesia.