Anesthesia

Anesthesia involves the use of anesthetics that cause loss or reduction of sensation in the body. These drugs are used to help patients better tolerate medical and surgical procedures.

The types of anesthesia that are currently divided in two:

• Local: it blocks the sensation of pain in a specific area of ‌‌the body, the patient does not sleep; however, can be used in combination with administering a sedative to make the patient feel drowsy and more comfortable during surgery.

Local anesthesia can be administered topically, applied to the surface of the skin in a cream or an adhesive patch; epidural, an administered injection that causes loss of sensation by blocking nerve transmission at or near the spine, is used to block the movement of the waist to the toes.

For its part, spinal anesthesia involves the injection of an anesthetic into the fluid-filled space surrounding the spinal cord. 

• General: General anesthetics cause unconsciousness in the patient. There are many different medications used in the anesthesia, each with its own power, purpose and duration.

General anesthesia is achieved by administration of inhaled gases and the patient will not remember having had any medical procedure. It should be noted that the patient is not breathing on their own, they requires a machine called anesthesia ventilator.

Sedation

Sedatives are medications that alter the consciousness of a patient to minimize pain, anxiety and discomfort that may be caused by undergoing surgery, and you may or may not remember the medical procedure.

There are two levels of sedation:

• Minimum and moderate where the patient will feel relaxed and in some cases, you may stay awake. At this level of sedation, the patient will respond to verbal stimulus, you can follow your doctor's instructions and breathe for yourself.
• Deep sedation, the patient will be asleep until the medication loses its effect. Deep sedation is usually administered by an anesthesiologist or anesthetist nurse .

Imagine procedure with Anesthesia

• Must inform your doctor of any medication you are taking and any allergies you have.
• It is important to share your medical history with your doctor to determine the type and amount of anesthesia to be used.
• Before the procedure, you may need to do a blood test to determine if the liver and kidneys are functioning well, and if the blood clots normally.
• In case you’re a woman, you should tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast-feeding a baby.
• It is possible to be told not to take or drink anything for six to eight hours before an imaging procedure with anesthesia or sedation.
• Must take off your clothes, jewelry, eyeglasses and any metal objects and wear a gown during the x-ray examination
• After taking sedatives or been administered anesthesia, your memory may be affected temporarily.

* In general, anesthesia and sedation are safe for most patients. Patients are carefully monitored when receiving any anesthetic, including sedation.

Side effects and allergic reactions

When anesthesia is administered by injection, the patient may feel numbness or tingling for a few days, and for epidural analgesia, they may experience headache.

The most common complications after general anesthesia are: nausea, vomiting, minor allergic reactions, dizziness, headache, sore throat, changes in blood pressure and pain. Easily treated with medication.

The most serious complications that may arise are: allergic reactions, strokes and heart attacks.

The patients most likely to develop problems due to anesthesia are those with: 

• A history of congenital heart disease
• Esophageal reflux - acid and food that come back to the mouth after consumption
• Reactive airway disease
• Increased intracranial pressure
• Abnormal respiratory airways
• Access disorders
• Problems of the heart
• Sleep problems

Pregnancy
Before any imaging study, women should always inform your doctor if they are pregnant, since many of the imaging tests cannot be performed in that state.

Only if very necessary for a surgical procedure, anesthesia can be administered with care to protect the fetus and the mother.

For their part, women who are breastfeeding can receive normal doses of local anesthetics without affecting their child, but should consult their doctor before taking any medication that could be passed to the baby when breastfeeding.