Anesthetic procedure

General anesthesia is a drug-induced state that is most comparable to deep sleep.

Anesthesia is induced either in a special anesthesia preparation room or in the operating room itself. For this purpose, you will first have a venous access to which a drip with fluid will be connected.
You will also be connected to various monitoring devices. The audible alarms that you may hear are normal at this point and need not worry you. The anesthesia itself is usually started by injecting a fast-acting anesthetic via the previously created venous access.
The anesthesia is then continued by injecting further medication via the vein (intravenous anesthesia) or by adding anesthetic gas (gas anesthesia) to the breathing air for as long as the surgical procedure requires. A respiratory mask (placed on the face), a so-called laryngeal mask (inserted into the mouth) or a so-called tube (inserted into the windpipe) can be used to supply breathing air.

During anesthesia, the anesthetist continuously monitors important organ functions, such as pulse, blood pressure, breathing, cardiac activity and the oxygen supply to the blood. This allows any organ dysfunctions to be detected quickly and treated accordingly. The anesthetist will also ensure that you are deeply asleep and feel no pain during the entire procedure.

At the end of the operation, the anaesthetic is stopped and you wake up from the anaesthetic, usually remaining in the recovery room for some time until it is ensured that all important organ functions are stable and you are sufficiently awake. In special cases, it may be necessary to transfer you to an intensive care unit for a certain period of time after an operation. The necessary equipment and qualified staff are available here to ensure that you are monitored and receive medical care around the clock.

With regional anesthesia, the sensation of pain is only switched off in a specific region of the body. In contrast to general anesthesia, you are awake and responsive during the operation. If you find this unpleasant, you can be put into a twilight sleep with a mild sedative or sleeping pill and remain unaware of the operation.

A distinction is made between spinal anesthesia (spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia) and peripheral nerve blocks (plexus anesthesia). The former also allow operations in the abdominal area, while the latter are particularly suitable for operations on the arms and legs. Compared to general anesthesia, regional anesthesia has the advantage that the entire body is not exposed to medication.

Spinal/epidural anesthesia enables pain-free procedures on the lower abdomen, pelvic area and legs. After a local anaesthetic, the anaesthetist inserts a thin needle into your back, specifically into an intervertebral space in the lower lumbar spine. As there is no longer a spinal cord in this area, individual nerves may be irritated, but the spinal cord cannot be damaged. The anesthetist then injects a local anesthetic into the space of the lumbar spine filled with nerve fluid (cerebrospinal fluid space). Shortly after the injection, you will feel a sensation of warmth and numbness in your legs and will soon be able to move them only to a limited extent or not at all. This is a sure sign of the effect. Depending on the medication used, this condition lasts for approx. 2-4 hours. If the effect of spinal anesthesia is not sufficient for the operation, it is possible to switch to general anesthesia at any time.

With plexus anesthesia, your anesthetist only switches off the sensation of pain in your arm or shoulder. The nerve plexus that supplies the shoulder or arm (arm plexus) is temporarily anaesthetized by injecting a local anaesthetic. You will remain conscious but will not feel any pain. For procedures on the hand, forearm and elbow, anaesthesia is administered in the armpit (axillary plexus anaesthesia); for procedures on the upper arm or shoulder, anaesthesia is administered below the collarbone (infraclavicular plexus anaesthesia).