Difference between local anesthesia. general anesthsia, spinal anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, spinal anethse
Answers:
1. Local anesthesia is injected just into the area to be operated on- as for dental work.
2. Regional anesthesia anesthetizes a nerve or nerve plexus, like a brachial block for an arm procedure.
3. Spinal anesthesia involves puncturing the dura, the fibrous covering of the spinal cord, introducing anesthetic into the fluid bathing the spinal cord. Spinal head aches can result from leak of spinal fluid. Generally there is loss of motor function of the legs until it wears off.
4. Epidural does not puncture the dura- anesthetic is intruduced outside the dura, so it bathes the nerves coming off the spinal cord. Gives good pain relief, sometimes unilateral (which is less helpful).
5. General anesthetic- produces a loss of consciousness. Can be inhalational or intravenous. A paralytic is often used with inhalational general anesthetic, and an endotracheal tube (a breating tube) is used.
Local/regional: You are awake and the medicine is delivered in such a way that only one section of your body is affected.
General: People think of this as "going to sleep". Anesthesia sleep is carefully controlled unconsciousness, and affects the whole body. The drugs used to create a state of general anesthesia are potent, and affect all of the body's organs at once.
Spinal: You are awake but numb from the mid-section down.
Epidural: You are awake but numb from mid-section down.
Note: Spinal anesthesia affects more nerves that control movement (motor nerves) than epidural, while both affect nerves that control pain and feeling (sensory nerves).
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