Whether you have questions about when
to stop eating or drinking, or about hospital anesthesia in
general, you can find everything you need to become well informed
in the links below.
Patient billing questions:
patientbilling@premieranesthesia.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Here you will find a list of answers to frequently asked
questions regarding your upcoming surgery/procedure. Should
you have any additional anesthesia questions or need clarification,
you may address these with the anesthesiologist who will be present
during your procedure.
- Are there different kinds of anesthesia?
- What are the risks of anesthesia?
- What about eating or drinking before my
anesthesia?
- Should I take my usual medicines?
- Could herbal medicines and other dietary
supplements affect my anesthesia if I need surgery?
- What makes office-based anesthesia
different?
- How is the epidural block performed for labor and
delivery?
- Should I stop smoking before my surgery?
There are three main type of anesthesia: local, regional, and
general. Each has many forms and uses.
If local anesthesia is necessary, the anesthetic drug is usually
injected into the tissue to numb just the specific location of your
body requiring minor surgery, for example, the hand or foot.
Regional anesthesia involves an injection near a cluster of
nerves to numb the area of your body that requires surgery. You may
remain awake, or you may be given a sedative. You do not see or
feel the actual surgery take place. There are several kinds of
regional anesthesia. Two of the most frequently used are spinal
anesthesia and epidural anesthesia, which are produced by
injections made with great exactness in the appropriate areas of
the back. They are frequently preferred for childbirth and prostate
surgery.
General anesthesia renders the patient unconscious. You will
have no awareness or other sensations. There are a number of
general anesthetic drugs. Some are gases or vapors inhaled through
a breathing mask or tube and others are medications introduced
through a vein. During anesthesia, you are carefully monitored,
controlled and treated by your anesthesiologist, who uses
sophisticated equipment to track all your major bodily functions. A
breathing tube may be inserted through your mouth and frequently
into the windpipe to maintain proper breathing during this period.
The length and level of anesthesia is calculated and constantly
adjusted with great precision. At the conclusion of surgery, your
anesthesiologist will reverse the process and you will regain
awareness in the recovery room.
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All operations and all anesthesia have some risks, and they are
dependent upon many factors including the type of surgery and the
medical condition of the patient. Fortunately, adverse events are
very rare. Your anesthesiologist takes precautions to prevent an
accident from occurring just as you do when driving a car or
crossing the street.
The specific risks of hospital anesthesia vary with the particular
procedure and the condition of the patient. You should ask your
anesthesiologist about any risks that may be associated with your
anesthesia.
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As a general rule, you should not eat or drink anything after
midnight before your surgery. In certain cases, you may be given
permission by your anesthesiologist to drink clear liquids (up to a
few hours before your anesthesia).
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Some medications should be taken and others should not. It is
important to discuss this with your anesthesiologist. Do not
interrupt medications unless your anesthesiologist or surgeon
recommends it.
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Anesthesiologists are conducting research to determine exactly how
certain herbs and dietary supplements interact with certain
anesthetics. They are finding that certain herbal medicines may
prolong the effects of anesthesia. Others may increase the risks of
bleeding or raise blood pressure. Some effects may be subtle and
less critical, but for anesthesiologists, anticipating a possible
reaction is better than reacting to an unexpected condition. So it
is very important to tell your doctor about everything you take
before surgery.
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There is one fundamental and very important difference between
office-based anesthesia and hospital anesthesia / ambulatory
surgical center anesthesia. The strict, well-defined standards and
regulations that keep surgery and hospital anesthesia / ambulatory
surgical center anesthesia very safe do not uniformly apply to
physicians offices in the United States.
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An epidural block is given in the lower back. It is administered
while the patient is sitting up or lying on the side. The block is
administered below the level of the spinal cord. The
anesthesiologist will use a local anesthesia to numb an area of
your lower back. A special needle is placed in the epidural space
just outside the spinal sac.
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The bottom line is quit smoking now. Your surgery represents a
golden opportunity to do so. There is evidence that smokers who
quit at or before surgery, experience fewer symptoms of nicotine
withdrawal and are more likely to succeed in their attempt to stop
smoking long term.
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The information included above was cited from a variety of
sources, many of which appear in the links above.