There are three phases of anesthesia during a surgical procedure:
Your anesthesia probably will be started with an induction agent, which is used during the first step of your anesthesia and lasts only a few minutes. To keep you anesthetized, we administer and regulate more potent medications that are necessary for the rest of your procedure. Some of these medications are injected into your veins and others, such as nitrous oxide, are inhaled.
Inhaled gases are administered to patients who receive general anesthesia, with oxygen being the most important gas. These gases are administered either through a mask or special breathing tube which is inserted into your windpipe (trachea), depending on your surgical procedure and physical condition.
The specific anesthetics that will be administered to you will be determined by your physical responses, how those medications will be affected by the type of surgery you are having, and by your medical status. In other words, we carefully tailor your anesthetic just for you.
Some medications will be anesthetic agents to help you remain unconscious and experience no sensations, while others are administered to regulate your vital functions, such as heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, breathing, and brain and kidney functions.
We constantly monitor, evaluate and regulate your critical body processes because they can change significantly during the operation due to surgical response, the effects of the anesthetic medications, and your medical condition.
When surgery is completed, the recovery phase is carefully timed and controlled. Anesthetic agents are discontinued and new medications may be given to reverse the effects of those administered previously. Body temperature, breathing, blood pressure and other functions begin to normalize.
Before your total recovery, you may receive some medications to decrease post-operative discomfort. We calculate all of this precisely to permit you to return to consciousness in the recovery room (also known as the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, or PACU).