If your child is having surgery or a procedure, it can help to understand how the
various types of anesthesia make the experience more comfortable.
Anesthesia is broken down into three main categories: general, regional, and local,
all of which affect the nervous system in some way and can be administered using various
methods and different medications.
Think of the brain as a central computer that controls all the body's functions
and the nervous system as a network that relays messages back and forth from the brain
to different parts of the body. It does this via the spinal cord, which runs from
the brain down through the backbone and contains threadlike nerves that branch out
to every organ and body part.
Here's a look at what each kind of anesthesia does.
General Anesthesia
The goal is to make and keep a person completely unconscious (or "asleep") during
the operation, with no awareness or memory of the surgery. General anesthesia can
be given through an IV (which requires a needle stick into a vein, usually in the
arm) or by inhaling gases or vapors delivered by a mask or breathing tube.
If your child is having general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist will be there
before, during, and after the operation to monitor the anesthetic medications and
ensure your child is constantly receiving the right dose.
With general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist uses a combination of various medications
to:
- relieve anxiety
- keep your child asleep
- minimize pain during surgery and relieve pain afterward (using drugs called analgesics)
- relax the muscles, which helps to keep your child still
- block out the memory of the surgery
After surgery, the anesthesiologist reverses the anesthesia process to help your
child "wake up." It usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour for kids to recover
from general anesthesia. This recovery period is monitored by specially trained nurses
in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) or recovery room. During recovery, your child
is still under the care of the anesthesiologist.
Regional Anesthesia
An anesthetic drug is injected near a cluster of nerves, numbing a larger area
of the body (such as below the waist).
Most children who receive regional anesthesia are deeply sedated or asleep for
the procedure. Rarely, older kids or those who might be at risk by being asleep may
be awake or lightly sedated for this type of anesthesia.
In kids, regional and general anesthesia are often combined, except in very special
circumstances. Regional anesthesia is generally used to make someone more comfortable
during and after the surgical procedure.
If regional anesthesia is appropriate for your child, you'll discuss this with
the anesthesiologist. The time required to recover from the numbing effect will vary
depending on the type of regional anesthetic used.