General anesthesia is used to achieve a medically induced
coma state where the patient is unable to feel any pain and know what’s
happening. It’s a reversible loss of consciousness which allows the doctor to
operate the patient easily. The drug is managed by a specially trained doctor
who examines the condition of the patient throughout the surgery. It is very
rare that a patient may experience accidental intraoperative consciousness. In
such situations, the anesthesiologist does what is needed to be done to send
the patient back into a completely unconscious state of mind. The anesthesia
might make the patient feel dizzy, nauseous and weak but these are just
temporary side effects that will automatically fade away with time. Anesthesia
has to be given by an anesthesiologist because an inexperienced person would
not be able to control the risks and complexities involved. There are two main
types of anesthesia i.e. local and general. General anesthesia is preferred
over the local one for a number of reasons.
In this article, we will shed light on the important steps
involved in general anesthesia.
Stage 1:
Stage one is referred to as induction. This stage takes
place between the administration of the anesthesia and the loss of
consciousness. The patient just starts to enter into an unconscious state of
mind. The anesthesiologist stays with the patient to examine the status and
control of any kind of issues that may arise.
Step 2:
Step 2 is known as the excitement phase which comes right
after the patient loses its consciousness. This stage involves an exciting
activity where the breathing rate and heartbeat increases and the patient might
also feel nauseous. Since the breathing rate is irregular and the
risk of vomiting is involved, there is a danger of choking. Though this
condition can be controlled in an efficient manner by an expert doctor.
Step 3:
Stage 3 is known as surgical anesthesia where the breathing
is depressed, vomiting comes to an end and body muscles start to relax. This is
the stage where the patient is all set to get operated.
Step 4:
This stage is known as overdose. In this stage, the patient
is given an extra dose of anesthesia for a number of reasons. Though the
priority of an anesthesiologist is not to take the patient ahead of stage 3
considering the risks involved in stage 4.
