An introduction to anaesthesia
We aim to offer you and your relatives and friends an introduction to anaesthesia. Your anaesthetist will discuss the anaesthetic methods that are appropriate for you and will find out what you would like. Sometimes you can make choices if you want to – anaesthetists try to offer individual care. You and your anaesthetist can work together to make your experience as calm and free from pain as possible.

What is ‘anaesthesia’?
The word ‘anaesthesia’ means ‘loss of sensation’
●    It stops you feeling pain and other sensations.
●    It can be given in various ways.
●    Not all anaesthesia makes you unconscious.
●    It can be directed to different parts of the body.

Drugs that cause anaesthesia work by blocking the signals that pass along your nerves to your brain. When the drugs wear off, you start to feel normal sensations again,  including pain.

Some types of anaesthesia

Local anaesthesia
A local anaesthetic numbs a small part of your body. 
It is used when the nerves can easily be reached by drops, sprays, ointments or injections. You stay conscious but free from pain.

Regional anaesthesia
Regional anaesthesia can be used for operations on larger or deeper parts of the body. Local anaesthetic drugs are injected near to the bundles of nerves which carry signals from that area of the body to the brain.

The most common regional anaesthetics (also known as regional ‘blocks’) are spinal and epidural anaesthetics.  These can be used for operations on the lower body such as Caesarean sections, bladder operations or replacing a hip joint. You stay conscious but free from pain.

General anaesthesia
General anaesthesia is a state of controlled unconsciousness during which you feel nothing and may be described as ‘anaesthetised’. This is essential for some operations and may be used as an alternative to regional anaesthesia for others.

Anaesthetic drugs injected into a vein, or anaesthetic gases breathed into the lungs, are carried to the brain by the blood. They stop the brain recognising messages coming from the nerves in the body.