[General anesthesia]

General anaesthesia is a reversible loss of consciousness induced and maintained with a hypnotic drug given either by venous injection and infusion, or by inhalation. A potent opioid is usually associated to inhibit the transmission of pain and thus to lessen sympathetic and endocrine reactions to nociceptive stimuli. Myorelaxation is used to facilitate tracheal intubation and surgery. Whatever the anaesthetic protocol use, the patient and anaesthesia machine require close monitoring. In addition to vital signs, the depth of anaesthesia may be monitored using automated electroencephalographic analysis and myorelaxation should always be monitored using a nerve stimulator, but pain or analgesia evaluation is only based on clinical signs of sympathetic stimulation. Because anaesthesia-related death and morbidity have decreased considerably, future improvements in outcome should concern perioperative comfort, i.e. prevention of cognitive disturbances, nausea, vomiting and pain.