What is Anesthesia?

Anesthesia is a substance that is used by physicians to numb or incapacitate a patient so that he or she will not feel any pain during an operation. There are several different types of anesthesia. Anesthesia makes surgery a more pleasant experience for the patient as well as for the surgeon. Monitored Anesthesia is used when the dosage is enough to induce painlessness and drowsiness but not necessarily loss of consciousness. The patient may still be aware and able to talk.

Regional anesthesia numbs part a large section of the body such as an arm or a leg, but the patient is still conscious. This is used for surgeries on the arms and legs such as knee replacements. Local anesthesia is used when only a small part of the body needs to be numbed. This is used in operations like mole removal where only the skin around the mole is anesthetized and the rest of the body is left untouched.