Types of Anesthesia
- General Anesthesia- General anesthesia will put you to
sleep following an injection of medication in your IV. This will follow
other activities like applying EKG leads and a blood pressure cuff. Once
you are asleep a tube will be inserted in your airway to protect your breathing
during the operation. During the operation you will be getting other drugs
through the IV and other gases through the tube in your airway. General
anesthesia can be safely used in a wide variety of surgeries. Some of the
disadvantages of general anesthesia may include waking up with nausea, dizziness,
muscle aches, sore throat or feeling "hung over".
- Regional Anesthesia- Regional anesthesia is another type
of anesthesia used for Total Joint Replacement surgery. Two types of regional
anesthesia are called spinal and epidural. Your anesthesiologist will recommend
one of the 2 types for you. For regional anesthesia a small needle is inserted
into a specific area of your back after which a local anesthetic is given.
The local anesthetic temporarily blocks nerve conduction to the surgical
area. You will be unaware of pain from the surgical site. This pain-free
state often lasts for a few hours after the operation. This type of anesthesia
is often given with sedation medication in your IV. An advantage of regional
anesthesia is that many of the side effects of general anesthesia are avoided.
The most frequent disadvantages of regional anesthesia may include "spinal
headaches". Some people dislike the feeling of numbness and immobility
of their legs while the anesthesia is in effect. There may be occasional
problems with urination after regional anesthesia especially in men with
enlarged prostates. And finally, sometimes for unknown reasons, a regional
anesthesia fails to work properly and it becomes necessary to resort to
general anesthesia.
Post Operative Care
With either type of anesthesia you will be monitored. You will go to post-anesthesia
care unit (PACU) to recover after the operation. Once you are stable you will
go to a room on the orthopaedic unit. Sometimes the drugs will cause a brief
amnesia. Typically in the next day or two one of the members of the anesthesia
team will come to check on you and ask if anything about the anesthesia is
bothering you.
