Anaesthesia

For optimum safety, you will require a Specialist Anaesthetist to provide anaesthesia care during your forthcoming procedure. A Specialist Anaesthetist is a doctor who has completed a medical degree and also further specialist training in Anaesthesia. Of particular importance in this field is the safe use of Anaesthesia drugs and other techniques, careful monitoring of patients, pain management, resuscitation and intensive care, as well as extensive training in Anaesthesia for other specialised areas such as obstetrics and paediatrics.

Types of Anaesthesia

For some types of surgery, several options are available. Except in emergency situations, specialist Anaesthetists will consult with the patient and the surgeon to decide on the safest and most appropriate type of Anaesthesia for the clinical situation.

The Anaesthetist will consider several factors when planning a patient’s Anaesthesia including: • Past experience with surgery • Health and physical condition • Reactions or allergies to medicines • Risks of each type of Anaesthesia • Preferences of your surgical team

Local Anaesthesia

A local anaesthetic is used to numb a small part of your body and stop you feeling pain. You will be awake and aware of what is happening. Local anaesthetic is used when nerves can be easily reached by drops, sprays, ointments or injections. The length of time that the local anaesthetic takes to wear off depends on what type of anaesthetic was used. It usually lasts for approximately 4 - 6 hours. During this period take care not to injure the area which has been numbed as you may not feel any damage.

Regional Anaesthesia

Regional anaesthesia (nerve block) is where a nerve or group of nerves in a specific area of the body can be made numb by a local anaesthetic injection. Using local anaesthetic can sometimes allow you to stay awake for the procedure. Local anaesthesia provides long-lasting pain relief, during and after surgery.

Sedation

Sedation, also known as "monitored anesthesia care", is what people have often referred to in the past as "twilight". Medications are given, usually through an IV, to make the patient feel drowsy and relaxed. Different levels of sedation are possible, depending on the type of procedure and the patient's preference.

General Anaesthesia

General anesthesia brings on a sleep-like state with the use of a combination of medicines. The medicines, known as anesthetics, are given before and during surgery or other medical procedures. General anesthesia usually uses a combination of intravenous medicines and inhaled gasses. You'll feel as though you're asleep. But general anesthesia does more than put you to sleep. You don't feel any pain when you're under general anesthesia. This is because your brain does not respond to pain signals or reflexes. While you are under anesthesia, the anesthesia team monitors you, watches your body's vital functions, manages your breathing and treats pain related to the procedure.


During The Surgery/Procedure

Your Anaesthetist will be carefully monitoring you continuously during your procedure, and by careful use of drugs and other techniques will keep you safely Anaesthetised. Most general Anaesthesia is administered intravenously (through an IV). The IV is placed in your hand/arm and the necessary drugs injected. The IV also allows fluids (‘a drip’) to be set up if needed. Before being Anaesthetised, the Anaesthetist will attach monitors to you which are routinely used (Eg: heart and blood pressure monitoring).

Medications

Some medications may need to be ceased several days before surgery. Blood thinners (aspirin, warfarin, and other agents like Plavix, Iscover, Pradaxa, Brilinta and Xarelto) and diabetic medication require special consideration and you should be given specific instructions on what to do with these medications. Other drugs, including regular medications used for the treatment of heart problems, blood pressure, reflux and asthma may be taken normally in most cases. If you are unsure whether to stop any medications, this hasn’t been discussed with you by your surgeon or you do not have an appointment with your Anaesthetist more than 7 days prior to surgery, please contact our rooms via email (accounts@thegroup.com.au) with your query and medication list and our reception staff will reply to you with instructions from your Anaesthetist or ask your Anaesthetist to phone you directly.

You will be transferred to the recovery room where you will be observed by appropriately trained surgical staff. Once you have sufficiently ‘recovered’ and it is safe, you will be returned to the ward or other part of the hospital. After general Anaesthesia, you will be quite sleepy when you first ‘wake-up’. If you wake uncomfortable or with any questions, you should chat to your nursing staff at any time.

After The Surgery/Procedure

Side Effects

Following Anaesthesia, you should expect to encounter some side-effects. Fortunately, recovery in general Anaesthesia is much improved over previous times, but depending on the surgery or procedure, the length of time Anaesthetised and many other factors, your recovery will vary. Your Anaesthetist will discuss with you what to expect. Typical side-effects include feeling quite sleepy or ‘hung-over’ for a period of time, having a sore throat or dryness in the mouth, bruising or tenderness in the region where the initial injection was, and nausea and/or vomiting. Pain may follow many surgical procedures and your Anaesthetist will organise pain relief medication for you. Sometimes, more advanced forms of pain relief are used, such as epidural injections, or pain medication pumps. Your Anaesthetist will discuss these with you when appropriate.

Safety

Anaesthesia is very safe and continues to make advances in the care of patients to enhance safety and outcomes even further. This is particularly so in Australia. However, like all medical procedures, there are risks involved when being Anaesthetised. Fortunately, Anaesthetists are specifically trained in handling emergency situations. Serious problems such as heart attacks, severe breathing difficulty, major allergic reactions and other problems can occur, but generally the risk is very low. If you have any particular worries, it is important to discuss these with your Anaesthetist.