General Anesthesia

General anesthesia is a combination of powerful medications that is administered to a patient prior to undergoing an invasive surgery. An anesthesiologist is a medical professional who specializes in administering the proper amount and type of intravenous or gaseous medication that puts the patient into a sleep-like state. However, this state is different than traditional sleep in that the patient will not respond to normal pain signals, allowing the surgical team to complete an invasive procedure that would otherwise be too painful to endure.

Considerations about General Anesthesia

General anesthesia goes farther than just putting the patient to sleep. Breathing must be monitored, blood pressure and heart rate closely watched, and the medical team must be sure that patients receive the proper amount of medication to keep them induced for the duration of the surgery. Failure to monitor these critical variables can have potentially devastating effects. General anesthesia is most commonly used during major surgery, and it can also be recommended when a surgery will be lengthy, the patient will be put in an uncomfortable position, or if the surgery might impact vital organs. In almost all cases, patients who have undergone general anesthesia must be hospitalized overnight for monitoring to ensure they do not have an adverse post-operative reaction.

The Benefits of Local Anesthesia

In recent years, with advances in medicine and surgical techniques, outpatient surgery that utilizes local anesthesia has grown increasingly popular. Unlike conventional surgery, outpatient techniques do not necessarily need to be completed in a hospital setting, and light sedation is often all that is required for the minor treatment to be completed. One example of this is the case of outpatient endoscopic spine surgery. When spinal fusion has been recommended to patients suffering from a herniated disc, a minimally invasive spine procedure can often treat the same condition without requiring general anesthesia or overnight hospitalization.

At Laser Spine Institute, we specialize in a variety of outpatient endoscopic procedures that are designed to alleviate back and neck pain and are completed without general anesthesia. Contact us today to learn more and request a complimentary review of your MRI or CT scan.