About Your Anesthesia
DAY OF SURGERY
Your anesthesia provider(s) will:
Prior to surgery
- Review your medical history.
- Perform a physical exam.
- Explain your anesthesia plan.
- Discuss the potential side effects.
- Answer your questions.
During surgery
- Continuously monitor and adjust your anesthetic to ensure your comfort and safety.
- Be by your side in the operating room during your entire surgery.
After surgery
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- Take you to a recovery room where you will be monitored and may be given additional medications to assist in your recovery.
- Time in the recovery room varies and depends on the type of surgery, need for additional medications, and if you have certain medical conditions.
TYPES OF ANESTHESIA
Your anesthesia plan may include one or more of the following:
General Anesthesia
- You will be completely “asleep.”
- Often requires placement of a plastic device in your mouth after you are asleep to assist with your breathing.
- Administered via IV and/or inhaled.
Regional Anesthesia
- A shot is given to numb a region of your body such as the shoulder, arm, knee, or foot.
Spinal/Epidural Anesthesia
- A shot is given in the lower back to numb your body from the waist down.
Local Anesthesia
- Typically given by your surgeon, a shot is used to numb a very small area of your body.
Sedation
- Medicine is given through your IV to make you drowsy.
- Degree of drowsiness may be adjusted during your procedure to meet your needs.
- Often used in combination with regional, spinal, or local anesthesia.
COMMON SIDE EFFECTS AFTER ANESTHESIA
Nausea/vomiting
- Often quickly treatable.
- May be preventable – tell us if you’ve been affected in the past!
Sore throat
- May occur with general anesthesia.
- Subsides after a few days.
Drowsiness
- Level of drowsiness related to length of time under anesthesia, type of surgery, medications given, patient’s age/medical history.
Confusion
- Typically lasts just minutes after awakening but may persist longer in certain patients.
Muscle soreness
- Can occur if certain medications are used to relax your muscles during surgery.
- Subsides after a few days.
Shivering
- Typically subsides within 20-30 minutes into recovery.
- We keep you warm with blankets before, during, and after surgery to prevent this.