Anesthesia means the absence of all sensation. Anesthesia is a method used in medicine, especially during surgery. Sterilization and the discovery of anesthesia are the two most important stages in the development of surgery today. Anesthesia means the absence of sensation, the most important of which is the absence of pain. During surgical procedures to treat health problems, anesthesia is performed before the operation to prevent pain and soreness.
The type of anesthesia to be performed is determined by anesthesia and reanimation specialists and given to the patient at the levels determined by anesthesia devices. This provides a temporary shutdown of consciousness. Anesthesia techniques have been applied for many years and constantly renew themselves. With these techniques, it is important for both the patient and the specialists performing the procedure that consciousness, mobility and sensation disappear while vital functions continue during the procedure. Comfort is provided to the patient during the operation. Thus, reflexes are suppressed, muscles relax and the surgical intervention becomes easier to perform. It is the anesthesiologist's area of expertise to maintain this condition during the operation and to end the anesthetic drugs after the operation and wake the patient up.
How Many Types of Anesthesia Are There?
The types of anesthesia to facilitate intervention when necessary, to alleviate or completely eliminate pain can be specified under several headings.
Depending on the type and duration of the procedure to be performed by other specialists and surgeons, the anesthesiologist chooses between general, regional, local anesthesia and sedation procedures.
General anesthesia Anesthesia applications with loss of consciousness. It is an anesthesia procedure characterized by loss of consciousness, loss of all senses, disappearance of reflexes and often forgetfulness. It is induced by anesthetic drugs administered intravenously or by inhalation. The most important thing in anesthesia is the protection of respiratory and circulatory functions as it acts on the brain. General anesthesia is a temporary coma. The patient does not notice anything after a while, does not respond to any sensation, but is awakened when the time comes. State-of-the-art anesthesia devices and the anesthesiologist continuously monitor the depth of sleep, so that there are no factors such as waking up or sobering up during surgery. The time of general anesthesia varies completely depending on the type and time of the surgery. When the operation is over, the anesthesiologist turns off all inhalation anesthetics and withdraws the tubes in the respiratory tract. The patient is taken to a room and monitored for recovery.
Local anesthesia: Not to be confused with regional anesthesia. It is the numbing of only the surgical area and covers a narrow area. It is commonly used in applications such as mole removal, tooth extraction, circumcision, dermatological and aesthetic procedures.
The patient does not lose consciousness during the numbing of a certain part. It takes effect in about 15 minutes, only the part of the procedure is numbed without loss of sensation.
Regional anesthesia: It is the numbing of the entire area including the surgical site. For example; it is the numbing of areas such as arms, shoulders, legs, hips and making them painless. There is no loss of consciousness in regional anesthesia. In addition to the types of spinal and epidural anesthesia for ordinary and cesarean sections, spinal epidural anesthesia can also be performed.
Thanks to these regional techniques, the patient is conscious but does not experience pain during the operation.
What Should Be Done Before Receiving Anesthesia?
The patient should be evaluated before receiving anesthesia. The patient's vital functions should be reviewed. First, it is checked whether the patient has a problem with circulation. Since the drugs to be given during anesthesia will affect the patient, the history of the patient's previous illnesses is checked.
The other important factor is respiratory function. It is necessary to check whether the patient's lung capacity is sufficient and whether there is a respiratory problem.
The patient's blood values are checked. Because organs such as the liver and kidneys should be evaluated closely. It is necessary to determine whether the patient has active infection, anemia and bleeding problems. The patient's allergy history is checked.
After the anesthesiologist clinically evaluates, questions and examines the patient, he/she may order a chest X-ray of the lungs and an ECG of the heart. All these examinations are very important for the safety of the patient. One of the other rules to be considered before surgery is the rules regarding fasting and water. If it is certain that the patient will undergo surgery, a fasting period of 6-8 hours is required. The reason for this is to prevent the stomach contents from escaping into the lung and burning the lung in case of a side effect such as vomiting that may occur because the airway reflexes disappear.
How is Anesthesia Administered?
Before the application process, the relevant specialist checks the patient. He/she prepares the patient for surgery by checking whether the necessary examinations have been performed. The patient's surgery is determined, his/her past health history is checked and it is determined whether he/she has allergies.
When the patient arrives on the operating table, the specialist will first motorize the patient's heartbeat, check the blood pressure, determine the body temperature and take measurements. He/she ensures that an IV is started and an IV drip is inserted. Injects the anesthetic drugs into the vein and starts the procedure. In addition, oxygen support is given with the help of a mask to ensure that the patient receives better oxygen. Then a tube is inserted into the trachea and the patient is connected to the anesthesia device. During the operation, all vital functions, bleeding, fluids being administered are controlled by anesthesiologists and technicians and the function is ensured to continue.
Which Side Effects May Occur After Anesthesia?
Pain: The most important side effect that may occur after anesthesia is pain. Pain treatment is started while the operation is in progress. Pain is intervened with regional numbing techniques. After the operation, pain treatment is applied intravenously or regionally with the controls of the physician and nurse.
Nausea and vomiting: It is a process that starts before surgery. Anti-nausea medications are administered before and after surgery. These medications help to eliminate nausea and vomiting.
Respiratory arrest: The patient may stop breathing under general anesthesia. It is an undesirable side effect during general anesthesia, the relevant specialists manage the airway and provide oxygen therapy. It is of vital importance. It is necessary to make sure that the patient is fully awake and breathing is adequate.
Inability to urinate: Some patients may complain of being unable to urinate due to the effects of the medication. In this case, the patient is intervened with a urinary catheter.
Late return of bowel movements: It is a side effect that occurs after abdominal surgeries. There are some treatment methods for this.
Postoperative lung clotting: Although it is not a problem directly related to anesthesia, it is a vital condition that causes respiratory distress in the lung. For this, the patient is mobilized as soon as the surgery allows after anesthesia.
In addition to these, the fact that the patient's blood pressure does not drop and there is no arrhythmia are side effects that seriously affect the comfort of the patient after surgery.