Outline of anesthesia

Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical purposes. It may include analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), amnesia (loss of memory), or unconsciousness. A patient under the effects of anesthetic drugs is referred to as being anesthetized.

Types of Anesthesia

There are several forms of anesthesia. The following forms are most common:

• General anesthesia suppresses central nervous system activity and results in unconsciousness and total lack of sensation.
• Sedation suppresses the central nervous system to a lesser degree, inhibiting both anxiety and creation of long-term memories without resulting in unconsciousness.
• Regional anesthesia and local anesthesia, which block transmission of nerve impulses between a targeted part of the body and the central nervous system, causing loss of sensation in the targeted body part. A patient under regional or local anesthesia remains conscious.

Anesthesiology

Anesthesiology is the medical specialty that focuses on perioperative care, development of an anesthetic plan, and the administration of anesthetics. An anesthesiologist who is a specially trained doctor who specializes in anesthesia is called an anesthesiologist. A nurse anesthetist who is a specially trained nurse who specializes in anesthesia is called a nurse anesthetist.

History of Anesthesia

The first public demonstration of ether anesthesia was given at the Massachusetts General Hospital, in the Ether Dome.

See Also

• Anesthetic
• Anesthetic drugs
• Anesthetic equipment
• Anesthetic techniques
• Anesthetic monitoring
• Anesthetic complications
• Anesthetic mortality
• Anesthetic pharmacology
• Anesthetic physiology
• Anesthetic reversal
• Anesthetic toxicity