General Anesthesia

What is it?
This is a type of anesthesia in which you are completely asleep. Upon the administration of a combination of anesthetic drugs you are rendered unconscious. These medications make your body insensible to pain. They also depress certain bodily functions. It is quite a common type of anesthesia, different from regional anesthesia, or certain types of sedation in which you may be sedated but able to be awakened. During this type of anesthetic you are closely monitored and your vital bodily functions are checked on a continuous basis by a variety of monitors as well as by the vigilance of your anesthetic team.

Intubation
Commonly known as "having a tube down my throat", the intubation is frequently a required part of your anesthetic. When you are rendered unconscious you are also not able to breath adequately. Therefore, we need to assist you in this process. This is sometimes accomplished by the placement of a small plastic tube into your trachea (breathing pipe), after you are completely asleep and insensitive to your environment. This tube is removed as you wake up and, in general patients do not remember the event. Some surgeries may not require intubation and your breathing will be assisted by other modalities.

Emergence/ Wake up
You will wake up at the end of the procedure when the surgeon is finished. Some patients may require further sedation after their surgery depending on their pre-existing medical conditions as well as the type of procedure they undergo. Patients undergoing more life-threatening surgical procedures have a higher anesthetic risk.

General Anesthesia/ Side Effects
Side effects from anesthesia are minor and common. They include sore throat (more common in women), nausea, headaches, and fatigue. They usually resolve on their own the day of surgery or in the following 1-2 days. Rarely, some of these side effects require treatment and hospitalization.

Your Return Home
For those patients who do not require hospital admission after surgery, we ask that a family member or a friend is driving you home. Although you may feel quite awake, some of the anesthetics may affect your body (reflexes, judgment, etc)for longer than 24 hours. Additionally, some of the pain medication that you receive during surgery may impair your judgment. Therefore, you must not drive or operate machinery the day of surgery.

Recovery from Anesthesia/ The Recovery Room

This is also called the PACU-the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. This is the area where your anesthesiologist and your recovery room nurse provide your needs in further awakening from anesthesia. The team monitors your vital signs, address your pain management needs, and prepare you for the next step in your recovery-either the Phase II or your hospital room. You will stay in the recovery room until the majority of your anesthesia wears off. Most patients spend about one hour in the PACU. However, this is dependent upon the type of surgical procedure that you underwent, your individual response to anesthesia, or the hospital room availability. At our institution some patients may be recovered from anesthesia on the Intensive Care Unit.