Information about anaesthesia

Having surgery with local anaesthesia means you will have a numbing medicine injected where the surgery will be, making that area numb so you will feel no pain during surgery.

Further information

Local anaesthesia is when a medicine called local anaesthetic is injected to make a small area of your body numb. It is a good option for some minor surgeries. You stay awake but should not feel pain. It is used by many doctors such as your GP for taking biopsies or your dentist for working on your teeth. In hospital it can be given by your surgeon for minor surgery. The numb feeling usually only lasts for a few hours.

It can also be given together with sedation.

If you are having a procedure under sedation you will be given medicines that can make you drowsy, relaxed and comfortable. You will then be closely monitored throughout the procedure.

Further information

Sedation is also known as monitored anaesthetic care or twilight anaesthesia. The type of sedation can depend on your procedure. It is usually given as an IV injection, but can also be given as a tablet or a drink. You will be closely monitored while having sedation. Afterwards, it is common to have no memory, or only some patchy memories of the procedure.

To ensure you remain comfortable, Sedation is often given with pain relief medicines, or with local anaesthesia or regional anaesthesia, so take a look at these tabs to learn more.

Regional Anaesthesia (also known as a nerve block) is when an anaesthetist makes a large area of your body numb, such as your whole arm or whole leg. There are many different types of regional anaesthesia / nerve blocks and the type you may have will depend on factors like your surgery and your usual health.

Further information

Local anaesthesia and regional anaesthesia both use local anaesthetic, but with regional anaesthesia, the anaesthetist makes a much larger area of your body numb. They do this by injecting local anaesthetic around a nerve or group of nerves, which is why it is sometimes called a nerve block. Regional anaesthesia can be used to make an area numb for surgery or done to provide pain relief. Your anaesthetist will let you know if regional anaesthesia is a good option for you and your surgery – in some cases it is a safer alternative to general anaesthesia, in other cases it can be a good option if your preference is to stay awake during your surgery.

There are two main types of regional anaesthesia:

1. Peripheral nerve blocks
2. Spinal and epidural

Sedation can be given with regional anaesthesia to make you feel relaxed and comfortable. 

A peripheral nerve block is when your anaesthetist makes a part of your body (such as your arm, leg or chest) numb for surgery by giving you an injection of numbing medicine. The numbness can be made to last anywhere from several hours to several days, depending on what is right for you and your surgery.

Further information

A peripheral nerve block is when an anaesthetist gives an injection of local anaesthetic around a nerve, or group of nerves, to numb a larger area of your body. There are many different types of peripheral nerve block, and they can be used to numb a whole arm or leg, part of the abdomen or chest.  The peripheral nerve block can be done with a single injection of local anaesthetic or continued by an infusion of local anaesthetic, and so the numbness can last anywhere from several hours to several days, depending on what is right for you and your surgery. A peripheral nerve block can be used for surgery, or to provide pain relief for when you are recovering from surgery.

Spinal

A spinal is an injection into your lower back, between the bones of your spine. The injection is given by your anaesthetist and makes the lower part of your body numb so you do not feel any pain during your surgery.

Further information

Spinal anaesthesia makes the lower part of your body numb, from your feet up to your chest. It is commonly used in surgery on the womb (such as a caesarean section), bladder, prostate, hips or knees. The numbness typically lasts for several hours. With a spinal you can remain fully awake or be given sedation to make you feel relaxed and comfortable.

Epidural

An Epidural is very similar to a Spinal. It is also an injection into your back, but typically a small catheter is left in your back so local anaesthetic can continue to be infused. This can be used for long periods of pain relief, such as with labour pain. 

Further information

An Epidural is often confused with Spinal Anaesthesia, but instead of providing numbness for surgery, it is more often used to provide pain relief over a longer period of time. Where a Spinal is a single injection into your back, an Epidural involves inserting a small plastic catheter into your back to allow an infusion of local anaesthetic to be delivered close to the nerves in your back. This catheter is very small, and you can comfortably lie on it when it is taped to your back. This can be used to give a long period of pain relief, such as with labour pain or when recovering from abdominal surgery.

Also, unlike a spinal, the injection and catheter insertion does not have to be in your lower back. Leaving a catheter in your lower back can help with pain relief to your legs and pelvis, a catheter into the middle of your back can help with pain relief to your abdomen, and a catheter into your upper back can help with pain relief to your chest.

General anaesthesia is when you ‘go off to sleep’ for surgery. The anaesthetic medicines are given by your anaesthetist, who will stay with you, monitor your vital signs and ensure you are safe throughout your surgery.

Further information

General anaesthesia involves giving medicines which make you unconscious. Because it looks as though you are asleep, having a general anaesthetic is often called ‘going off to sleep for surgery’. However, general anaesthesia is different from normal sleep as you will remain unconscious and not be able to wake as long as you continue receiving the anaesthetic medicines. These medicines are either given into a vein or as a gas through a breathing tube and are controlled by an anaesthetist who will stay with you throughout your surgery. Your anaesthetist will be responsible for giving specific doses of medicines and monitoring your vital signs while you are anaesthetised.

Thanks to modern anaesthetic medicines, specialised monitoring equipment and highly trained anaesthetists, general anaesthesia is very safe. To learn more about the risks involved, take a look at the ‘anaesthetic risks’ section.