SERVICES and TYPES of ANAESTHESIA
The choice of anaesthesia used depends on the nature of surgery, your general health status and your own personal preference. You anaesthesiologist will determine the best type of anaesthesia for your specific case.
But you are also encouraged to ask your anaesthesiologist any questions you may have regarding the type of anaesthesia planned.
General Anaesthesia
Most major surgical procedures require general anaesthesia. This is a state of controlled unconsciousness which will make you unaware of your surroundings.
General anaesthesia usually have three components: loss of consciousness, pain relief and muscle relaxation. It is done with the aid of injected medication or inhaled gasses or a combination thereof.
These agents inhibit feeling, nerve conduction and movement at the level of the brain and the nerves while a specific procedure or operation is done.
Regional or Local Anaesthesia
In certain operations we might advise you that regional anaesthesia or a nerve block is indicated. Regional anaesthesia is the science of injecting local anaesthetic drugs around the nerves that supply the sensation to the area of your surgery. These blocks are expertly performed often with the help of advanced technology (ultrasound and nerve stimulators).
Regional or local anaesthesia numbs parts of your body to prevent you from feeling anything in a certain body parts or moving it.
This can be used as the primary method of anaesthesia or it can also be used in conjunction with general anaesthesia or sedation.
These blocks generally increase patient comfort and satisfaction and aid in post operative pain relief.
Other forms of regional anaesthesia may include the use of epidural and spinal anaesthesia (neuraxial anaesthesia).
Conscious sedation
Anaesthetic medication is used to make you drowsy, but rousable.
Sedation is often used in combination with some form of local or regional anaesthesia. Sedation enables day surgery and quick release from hospital.
Certain procedures such as plastic surgery may not require general anaesthesia and endoscopic investigation (gastroscopies and colonoscopies) are predominantly done under deep sedation alone.
We also provide a conscious sedation service (out of theatre) for procedures at the dentist’s office. This can be arranged at our anaesthetic office or through the dentist.
Obstetric anaesthesia and analgesia
Our obstetric anaesthesia and analgesia service is tasked with providing comfort and timely pain relief for woman in labour. The cornerstone of this service is our provision of epidural analgesia where indicated.
Epidural analgesia allows for enhanced comfort and decreased maternal distress during delivery.
Please discuss options for pain relief with your gynaecologist or anaesthesiologist.
If you need to have a Caesarian section we will provide safe anaesthesia and medical care during your operation in the form of either spinal anaesthesia, epidural or general anaesthesia. Your anaesthesiologist will be monitoring you and provide medical care throughout the Caesarian section.