Choose Your Anesthesia Services Provider Carefully

By Catalina Nielsen


Various forms of anesthetics have been around since the ancient empires of the world. They have been used to dull the senses for various surgeries and injuries. Early forms of pain management consisted of opiates and herbal tonics. Today anesthesia services have been refined from their primitive form and honed into a tool that helps save lives.

The earliest recorded pain medications are known to have been used in ancient Rome where physicians used milk of the poppy flower and mandrake root to alleviate the discomfort of illnesses or surgeries. The ancient Greek translation of the word anesthesia literally means 'without sensation'. It was named thus because that is precisely what it was designed to do.

Modern practices are used to control pain with the use of medicines called anesthetics. These medicines do not just ease pain, they also help regulate the body's systems. Successful practitioners will be able to control the heart rate, heart rhythm, breathing, blood flow, and pressure of a patient. This helps the body from going into shock or any other emergency state, thus raising the likelihood of a successful surgery.

There are many factors that can interfere with the use of the drug being administered. Certain ailments can be debilitating in conjunction with the anesthetic being applied. Heart, kidney, and liver disease are sensitive health conditions and must be held in account when adjusting the dosage of the pain killers. Diabetes and allergies to anesthetics can also deter the process of numbing. Healthcare practitioners are careful to monitor patients who have chronic problems and are being induced.

A variety of pain medications exist for a variety of reasons. These drugs will relax patients, block the pain of the procedure and if necessary put them in a temporary state of sleep. The dose of the drugs varies according the weight and health issues. Each dose is carefully calculated for the individual and it is common for patients to sometimes forget aspects of the day of their surgery.

The vast number of anesthetic drugs used are local numbing agents that dull the senses of a small area for minimal surgeries such as dental work and stitches. The medicine is injected with a syringe into the site and numbing lasts for a few hours at the most.

Regional anesthesia has two categories of anesthetics grouped under it. When regional numbing occurs it is usually in a large region of the body such as a leg or the torso. The first subgroup of this type of anesthetic is peripheral and it deals with blocking the nerve receptors in a certain area of the body. Pregnant women of the last quarter century know the second sub group well. The epidural form of anesthetic is a needle that is injected into the spine so that the lower abdomen, lumbar spine, and the hips are numbed.

General anesthesia is the most sensitive form out of all the anesthetic groups. It is injected through an IV into a vein and induces sleep and deep unconsciousness for many hours. General numbing medication will lower the heart rate and the breathing rate. Anesthesiologists are especially careful to monitor these cases as any mistake can result in the loss of a patient. Most anesthesia services are contracted from anesthesiology providers. This is a commonality because anesthesiologists are expensive to keep on staff.




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