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General Anesthesia: Overview

General Anesthesia: Overview

Anesthesia is a medical procedure that uses drugs for CNS suppression to enable painless surgeries and procedures. The selection of anesthetics is influenced by their pharmacokinetic properties, side effects, and patient characteristics. Various types of anesthesia include general, local, regional, spinal, and inhalational.
General anesthesia induces unconsciousness in the whole body, while the others target specific areas or sensations. It is administered to minimize adverse effects, maintain...

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia

Epidural anesthetics are administered in the fat-filled epidural space, the outermost part of the spinal canal. This technique is commonly employed for pain management and anesthesia during lower abdomen and pelvis surgeries or labor and delivery.
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Spinal Anesthesia

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Spinal Anesthesia

Spinal anesthetics are given during lower abdomen and limb surgeries to block sensory and motor neurons. They are administered in the mid to low lumbar regions, primarily acting on the cauda equina's nerve roots. The blockade level depends on the local anesthetic (LA) concentration. Usually, low LA concentrations are sufficient to block sensory fibers, while only high LA concentrations block motor fibers. Other factors like injection volume and speed, the patient's posture, and the drug...

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Intravenous Regional Anesthesia

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Intravenous Regional Anesthesia

Intravenous regional anesthesia or the Bier block technique is used to anesthetize a specific limb or extremity. It uses exsanguinated or blood-drained vessels to transport local anesthetics or LAs to the peripheral nerve trunks. Lidocaine without vasoconstrictors like epinephrine is most commonly used for this technique. Other drugs used are prilocaine, ropivacaine, and chloroprocaine. Bupivacaine is not recommended for this technique due to its high cardiac toxicity.
One of the advantages of...

Stages of General Anesthesia

Stages of General Anesthesia

Various sedation levels offer significant advantages in facilitating procedural interventions for patients undergoing medical or invasive surgical procedures. These levels span from anxiolysis to general anesthesia, providing a spectrum of sedative effects to cater to specific patient needs. Anxiolysis reduces anxiety and is achieved through minimal sedation, enabling patients to remain awake and responsive while feeling more at ease during the procedure. This level can benefit minor...

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Surface, Infiltration, and Conduction Block Anesthesia

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Surface, Infiltration, and Conduction Block Anesthesia

Depending on the target organ, local anesthetics (LAs) can be administered via various routes. In surface anesthesia, LAs are applied directly to the surface of the skin or mucous membranes. It is widely used for topical skin numbing before venipuncture or minor surgical procedures. Commonly used surface local anesthetics are lidocaine or benzocaine sprays or creams. Surface anesthesia occurs within 5 minutes and lasts for about 60 minutes. One of the main disadvantages of topical anesthesia is...

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Related Experiment Video

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Assessing Changes in Volatile General Anesthetic Sensitivity of Mice after Local or Systemic Pharmacological Intervention

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Regional versus general anaesthesia for caesarean section.

B B Afolabi¹, F E A Lesi, N A Merah

¹University of Lagos, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine, PMB 12003, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria. bosedeafolabi2003@yahoo.com

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

|October 21, 2006

Summary

Regional anesthesia (RA) and general anesthesia (GA) are common for cesarean sections (CS). While RA may reduce blood loss, neither RA nor GA shows superiority in major maternal or neonatal outcomes for CS procedures.

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Area of Science:

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Anesthesiology
Surgical Outcomes

Background:

Cesarean section (CS) commonly utilizes regional anesthesia (RA) and general anesthesia (GA).
Both anesthesia types present distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Efficacy comparison between RA and GA for CS is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the effects of regional anesthesia (RA) versus general anesthesia (GA) on maternal and neonatal outcomes in cesarean section (CS).

Main Methods:

Systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials.
Searched Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and EMBASE.
Included 16 studies involving 1586 women undergoing CS.

Main Results:

Regional anesthesia (epidural or spinal) was associated with lower estimated maternal blood loss compared to general anesthesia.
Women receiving RA reported less nausea.
No significant differences were observed in major maternal or neonatal outcomes, including Apgar scores and need for neonatal resuscitation.

Conclusions:

Current evidence does not demonstrate the superiority of regional anesthesia over general anesthesia for major maternal or neonatal outcomes in cesarean sections.
Further research is recommended to evaluate neonatal morbidity and maternal satisfaction with anesthetic techniques.