About Anaesthesia
Anaesthesia is a medical practice designed to ensure you are pain-free and comfortable during surgery or other medical procedures. Depending on the type of procedure, it can be localised to a specific area or affect your entire body. Our anaesthetists carefully choose the best method to keep you comfortable and safe.
The main types of anaesthesia are:
Local Anaesthesia
Numbs a small area of your body, allowing you to stay awake and alert while free from pain
Regional Anaesthesia
Blocks pain in a larger area, such as your legs or arms, allowing you to remain conscious while free from pain.
General Anaesthesia
Puts you in a state of controlled unconsciousness, ensuring you won’t feel or remember anything during the procedure.
Sedation
Sedation also known as “twilight sleep,” involves medications that make you feel relaxed and calm during your procedure. It is often used for minimally invasive procedures or diagnostic tests, allowing you to remain responsive to simple instructions while ensuring you’re comfortable and free from anxiety or discomfort.
These different types of anaesthesia can be used on their own, or in combination with each other.
Your anaesthetist will explain which option is best for your specific procedure.
For further information ANZCA have created a video about what an anaesthetist does and how general anaesthesia works, to help you feel more relaxed about having a surgical procedure under general anaesthesia.