General anesthesia in 10 questions

General anesthesia in 10 questions

General anesthesia consists of a reversible loss of consciousness to be able to perform a surgical act. It is the combination of a powerful hypnotic agent (absence of consciousness) and a opioid analgésiant agent (absence of reaction to painful stimulation). This technique is very safe today and the side effects are less important than before.

  1. Does general anesthesia have any risks?
    The zero risk does not exist but the risk of death during general anesthesia is very low. There may be side effects, but overall, they are getting better and better controlled. The setting up of pre-anesthetic consultation and wake rooms (mandatory since 1994) in which the patient is being watched after the intervention have made the general anesthesia much safer.

  2. What are the result of general anesthesia?
    After a general anesthesia, we stay in the wake room 1 OR 2 hours or more if needed. We wake up gradually after the stop of the medicines. The longer the anesthesia has been, the longer the time to eliminate anesthetics medicines can be important with a risk of sleep. It is also possible that you may have nausea and vomiting, especially if you have risk factors (including a history of transport harm).
    It is possible to have pain after the surgery but normally the anesthesiologist has injected pain products that act during the intervention and after the awakening. If this is not enough, other pain pain pain is still available.

  3. How is a general anesthesia carried out?
    In Adults, there is an infusion in which 2 OR 3 Medicines (for standard surgery) are injection.
    A Hypnotic Analgesic that makes sleep, a analgesic analgesic not to have hurt and possibly a curare to abolish muscle tone. A machine that helps to breathe (a intubation) is installed after intubation of the intubation for the whole duration of the anesthesia. If the operating gesture is not painful, like for a endoscopy for example, we can just use a sedative to make sleep.

  4. I have to be fasting for general anesthesia?
    You actually have to be fasting for general anesthesia and follow the following recommendations:
    • DO NOT EAT SOLID FOOD 6 hours before the anesthesia;
    • DO NOT DRINK WATER 2 hours before the anesthesia;
    • Haven’t smoked in 6 hours.
    Being fasting allows to avoid throwing up during the anesthesia and to cause the contents of the stomach through the lungs.
    The lungs are no longer protected during general anesthesia by the natural protection reflexes of the airways (cough).

  5. Can I wake up during a general anesthesia?
    The purpose of the anesthesiologist is that the sleeping person does not wake up. However, it happens in rare cases that a person wakes up but they will not necessarily remember it when they wake up. If this happens, the anesthesiologist deepen the anesthesia.

  6. Can I make an allergy to anesthetics products?
    There is always a risk of making an allergy to anesthetics products, which can’t always be tested in péropératoire. However, we can prevent a number of allergies through trauma consultation - we are looking for a history of allergy or cross allergies, and serious allergies are not common. In addition, anesthesiologists are trained to react to this situation.

  7. How are we being watched during general anesthesia?
    During general anesthesia, all settings are controlled heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen in the blood, temperature… this monitoring allows to monitor that the patient sleeps well, adapt the anesthesia according to the needs and react There are complications. A blood pressure that decreases or a heart rate that increases may be the first sign of an allergy or bleeding, but may also be simply related to the surgical act. It’s up to the anesthesiologist to know how to do the part of things.

  8. Should we take medicine before general anesthesia?
    Apart from the usual treatment treatment as needed by the anesthesiologist, no medicine is essential before general anesthesiologist. Sometimes patients are required to get anxiolytic medicines to take on the eve of an anesthesia. It is also possible that a medicine will be required a few hours before the anesthesia to make the stomach less acid. On the other hand, some medicines (such as warfarin or blood thinners) must be stopped and replaced.

  9. Do I have to change some habits before an anesthesia?
    In the ideal, you should stop smoking several weeks before general anesthesia. This is also valid for alcohol and for all drugs. But be careful, no brutal withdrawal!

  10. Several general anaesthesia close together, is it dangerous?
    Several close general anaesthesia do not present any particular risk in a standard patient. In older patients, this can increase the risk of side effects such as states of confusion