How Anesthesia Works

When you are in need of surgery the chances are you will need some type of anesthesia. There are many different types of anesthesia. Which one you will need depends on a variety of factors including, allergies, length of surgery, the location of the surgery, your state of health. Some surgical procedures require only an injection of local anesthesia into the incision area. Other procedures cannot be performed unless you are completely anesthetized totally unconscious and unaware of pain. Your anesthesiologist will help deciding which type of anesthesia you need.

Anesthesia is divided into four basic categories:

Each type of anesthesia has an effect on a part of the nervous system, which results in a depression or numbing of nerve pathways. General anesthesia affects the brain cells, which causes you to lose consciousness. Regional anesthesia has an effect on a large bundle of nerves to a particular area of the body, which results in losing sensation to that area without affecting your level of consciousness. Local anesthesia causes you to lose sensation in a very specific area.