Core Concepts and Practice of Anesthesia

Definition and purpose of anesthesia

Anesthesia is a medically (or veterinary) induced, controlled, temporary state in which a person or animal loses sensation and/or awareness. It is achieved with anesthetic drugs and may include analgesia (pain relief or prevention), paralysis or muscle relaxation, amnesia (loss of memory), and unconsciousness. A person receiving anesthetic drugs is described as being “anesthetized,” and anesthesia makes procedures possible without the physical restraint that would otherwise be required, or when such procedures would be technically difficult. The purpose of anesthesia is to reach specific procedural endpoints with the least risk to the patient. These core goals are hypnosis (temporary loss of consciousness and memory), analgesia (reduced or absent pain and blunted autonomic reflexes), and muscle relaxation. Different anesthesia types influence these endpoints differently: general anesthesia suppresses central nervous system activity to produce unconsciousness and total lack of sensation; sedation reduces anxiety and can cause amnesia without full unconsciousness; and regional/local techniques block nerve impulse transmission from a targeted body area, sometimes used alone and sometimes combined with general anesthesia or sedation. Clinicians select drugs and techniques based on the required endpoints for the procedure and the patient’s health status.

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Anesthesia endpoints: hypnosis, analgesia, relaxation

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