Types of Anaesthesia

Anaesthesia is tailored to the patient and their needs, and your anaesthetist will discuss with you what may be appropriate for your particular circumstances.  In general terms, anaesthesia may be divided into:

General Anaesthesia

Through the administration of a variety of medications, a state of unconsciousness and absence of pain sensation over the entire body is created. Those medications can be administered in a variety of ways including by injection and inhalation.

Regional Anaesthesia

This involves an injection of a local anaesthetic to provide loss of sensation to a region of your body. It works by temporarily interrupting the function of nerves supplying that area. The techniques include spinal and epidural blocks, arm and leg blocks. A mild sedative is often given to provide additional comfort.

Sedation

Sedation is commonly used to reduce a patient’s anxiety and relieve pain for many types of surgical procedures. It is sometimes combined with small amount of local anaesthetic injected by the surgeon. Although technically awake, the patient may have only a vague memory of the event.