
Related to anesthesia: general anesthesia


1. lack of feeling or sensation.
2. artificially induced loss of ability to feel pain, done to permit the performance of surgery or other painful procedures. It may be produced by a number of agents (anesthetics) capable of bringing about partial or complete loss of sensation.(See accompanying table.)
Patient Care. Interventions of the health care team will be individualized based on the type of procedure the patient has undergone and the type of anesthesia administered. Patients recovering from general anesthesia must be assessed constantly until they have reacted. The vital signs and blood pressure are checked regularly; any sudden change is reported immediately. They must be observed to see that the airway is clear at all times. The observation is in specialized recovery rooms called postanesthesia care units that are equipped with a variety of monitors to measure such variables as blood pressure, respiratory and pulse rates, cardiac output, body temperature, fluid balance, and oxygenation. When necessary, patients are initially managed with ventilators that inflate the lungs mechanically through endotracheal tubes. Changes in breathing pattern, eye movements, lacrimation, and muscle tone are indicators for the depth of anesthesia. Breathing patterns are the most sensitive of these.

When patients are awakening from general anesthesia they may be restless, attempting to get out of bed or even striking out at those around them because they are afraid and disoriented. This state is called emergence delirium and should be assessed, as it can indicate hypoxia. Retrograde amnesia may be associated with the administration of anesthesia and adjuncts, causing the patient to forget events occurring in the immediate postoperative period.
ambulatory anesthesia anesthesia performed on an outpatient basis for ambulatory surgery.
balanced anesthesia anesthesia that uses a combination of drugs, each in an amount sufficient to produce its major or desired effect to the optimum degree and to keep undesirable effects to a minimum.
basal anesthesia a reversible state of central nervous system depression produced by preliminary medication so that the inhalation of anesthetic necessary to produce surgical anesthesia is greatly reduced.
block anesthesia regional anesthesia.
caudal anesthesia a type of regional anesthesia that was used in childbirth between the 1940s and the 1960s. The anesthetizing solution, usually procaine, was injected into the caudal area of the spinal canal through the lower end of the sacrum and affected the caudal nerve roots, rendering the cervix, vagina, and perineum insensitive to pain. Called also caudal block.
central anesthesia lack of sensation caused by disease of the nerve centers.
closed circuit anesthesia that produced by continuous rebreathing of a small amount of anesthetic gas in a closed system with an apparatus for removing carbon dioxide.
compression anesthesia loss of sensation resulting from pressure on a nerve.
dissociated anesthesia (dissociation anesthesia) loss of perception of certain stimuli while that of others remains intact.
electric anesthesia anesthesia induced by passage of an electric current.
endotracheal anesthesia anesthesia produced by introduction of a gaseous mixture through a tube inserted into the trachea.
epidural anesthesia regional anesthesia produced by injection of the anesthetic agent into the epidural space. It may be performed by injection of the agent between the vertebral spines in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar regions. An old method was caudal anesthesia, which involved injecting the agent into the sacral hiatus. Called also epidural block.
general anesthesia a state of unconsciousness produced by anesthestic agents, with absence of pain sensation over the entire body and a greater or lesser degree of muscular relaxation; the drugs producing this state can be administered by inhalation, intravenously, intramuscularly, or rectally, or via the gastrointestinal tract.
gustatory anesthesia loss of the sense of taste.
hysterical anesthesia loss of tactile sensation occurring as a symptom of conversion disorder, often recognizable by its lack of correspondence with nerve distributions.
infiltration anesthesia local anesthesia produced by injection of the anesthetic solution directly into the area of terminal nerve endings. Called also infiltration analgesia.
inhalation anesthesia anesthesia produced by the respiration of a volatile liquid or gaseous anesthetic agent.
insufflation anesthesia anesthesia produced by introduction of a gaseous mixture into the trachea through a tube.
local anesthesia that produced in a limited area, as by injection of a local anesthetic or by freezing with ethyl chloride.
open anesthesia general inhalation anesthesia in which there is no rebreathing of the exhaled gases.
paraneural anesthesia perineural block.
paravertebral anesthesia regional anesthesia produced by the injection of a local anesthetic around the spinal nerves at their exit from the spinal column, and outside the spinal dura. Called also paravertebral block.
perineural anesthesia perineural block.
peripheral anesthesia lack of sensation due to changes in the peripheral nerves.
rectal anesthesia anesthesia produced by introduction of the anesthetic agent into the rectum.
refrigeration anesthesia cryoanesthesia.
regional anesthesia insensibility caused by interrupting the sensory nerve conductivity of any region of the body; the two primary types are field block, the encircling of an operative field by means of injections of a local anesthetic and nerve block, the making of injections in close proximity to the nerves supplying the area. Called also block.
saddle block anesthesia saddle block.
segmental anesthesia loss of sensation in a segment of the body due to a lesion of a nerve root.
spinal anesthesia
anesthesia due to a spinal lesion.
regional anesthesia produced by injection of the agent beneath the membrane of the spinal cord. Called also spinal block.
surgical anesthesia that degree of anesthesia at which operation may safely be performed.
tactile anesthesia loss of the sense of touch.
topical anesthesia that produced by application of a local anesthetic directly to the area involved.


(an'es-thē'zē-ă), Do not confuse this word with analgesia or hypesthesia.
2. Broad term for anesthesiology as a clinical specialty.
[G. anaisthēsia, fr. an- priv. + aisthēsis, sensation]






1. Loss of normal sensation; numbness.
2. Loss of pain sensation, as intentionally induced by drugs or medication Complications N&V, aspiration pneumonitis, renal failure, liver dysfunction. See Anesthesiology, Augment anesthesia, General anesthesia, Glove & stocking anesthesia, Infiltration anesthesia, Local anesthesia, One lung anesthesia, Tumescent anesthesia, Vocal anesthesia.


1. Loss of sensation resulting from pharmacologic depression of nerve function or from neurologic dysfunction; may be local, topical, general, or regional, depending on the affected area.
2. Broad term for anesthesiology as a clinical specialty.
Synonym(s): anaesthesia.



Patient care



2. The science and practice of anesthesiology.

basal anesthesia


block anesthesia


bulbar anesthesia

Anesthesia produced by a lesion of the pons.

caudal anesthesia

Synonym: caudal catheter

central anesthesia

Pathological anesthesia due to a lesion of the central nervous system.

closed anesthesia


conduction anesthesia

Block anesthesia

crossed anesthesia


dissociative anesthesia


anesthesia dolorosa


electric anesthesia

Anesthesia induced with electric current.

electronic dental anesthesia

Abbreviation: EDA
See: audioanalgesia; patient-controlled analgesia

endotracheal anesthesia

Enlarge picture

epidural anesthesia


ethylene anesthesia


general anesthesia


Gwathmey's anesthesia

See: Gwathmey, James

hypotensive anesthesia

Anesthesia during which the blood pressure is lowered.

hypothermic anesthesia

General anesthesia during which the body temperature is lowered.

hysterical anesthesia

Bodily anesthesia occurring in conversion disorders.

inadequate anesthesia


infiltration anesthesia

, infiltrative anesthesia

inhalation anesthesia


insufflation anesthesia

Instillation of gaseous anesthetics into the inhaled air.

intrapleural anesthesia

See: interpleural analgesia

intrathecal anesthesia

Intrathecal analgesia.

intratracheal anesthesia


local anesthesia

See: block anesthesia; infiltration anesthesia

mixed anesthesia


neural anesthesia

Block anesthesia.

neuraxial anesthesia

Caudal, epidural, or spinal anesthesia.

open anesthesia


paravertebral anesthesia

Injection of a local anesthetic at the roots of spinal nerves.

peridural anesthesia

Epidural anesthesia.

perineural anesthesia

Perineural analgesia.

peripheral anesthesia


primary anesthesia

The first stage of general anesthesia, before unconsciousness.

pudendal anesthesia


rectal anesthesia


refrigeration anesthesia

An obsolete synonym for cryoanesthesia.

regional anesthesia

See: block anesthesia; infiltration anesthesia

saddle block anesthesia


segmental anesthesia


sexual anesthesia

Loss of genital sensation, with accompanying secondary sexual dysfunction.
Enlarge picture

spinal anesthesia


Side effects


Synonym: subarachnoid block See: illustration

splanchnic anesthesia

Anesthesia produced by injection of an anesthetic into the splanchnic ganglion.

stages of anesthesia


surgical anesthesia


tactile anesthesia

Loss of sense of touch.

topical anesthesia


total intravenous anesthesia

Abbreviation: TIVA

traumatic anesthesia

Loss of sensation resulting from nerve injury.

tumescent anesthesia


twilight anesthesia

State of light anesthesia.
See: twilight sleep


Treatment with medicine that causes a loss of feeling, especially pain. Local anesthesia numbs only part of the body; general anesthesia causes loss of consciousness.


1. A loss of sensation in a part, or in the whole body, induced by the administration of a drug (an anaesthetic agent).
2. A loss of sensation, usually touch, in a part of the body as a result of some nervous lesion. Example: corneal anaesthesia. Note: also spelt anesthesia. See peribulbar injection.
topical anaesthesia Application of a local anaesthetic agent to an area of the skin or mucous membrane (e.g. conjunctiva) to produce anaesthesia. The application may be via direct instillation, soaked swabs, ointments or sprays. Syn. surface anaesthesia.


(an'es-thē'zē-ă) Do not confuse this word with analgesia or hypesthesia.
1. Loss of sensation due to pharmacologic depression of nerve function or from neurogenic dysfunction.
2. Broad term for anesthesiology as a clinical specialty.

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References in periodicals archive ?
Inclusion criteria of the study were patients between the age of 2 months to 80 years of both sexes and ASA class I to IV-E, being given either general or regional anesthesia. Exclusion criteria included patients with severe stenotic valvular heart disease and congestive heart failure presenting for elective surgery, patients with deranged coagulation profile and moribund patients with ASA class V.
Anesthesia was maintained using 8%-12% DES (inhaled concentration) in an oxygen flow of 300 mL/min under a closed system without nitrous oxide.
After induction of anesthesia with propofol, pulse rate significantly increased (P< 0.01) and respiratory rate siginificantly decreased (P< 0.01).
She spearheaded the creation of Philippine Anesthesia Digital Census (AENDICUS), the first online anesthesia database in the country, which benchmarked the practice of anesthesia in training institutions and promoted a culture of safety.
Spinal anesthesia is associated with significantly less morbidity and risk of death as compared to general anesthesia and is now commonly used in surgeries involving lower abdomen, lower limbs and cesarean section1.
Training for excellence in office-based anesthesia includes teaching, practicing, and demonstrating skills used in anesthesia administration.
Results: Of 352 birds, 303 (86%) were alive at hospital discharge, 12 (3.4%) died during anesthesia, 15 (4.3%) died in the intensive care unit after anesthesia, and 22 (6.3%) were euthanatized after anesthesia.
Baratta, M.D., director of regional anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Key Words: Mandibular local anesthesia, Inferior alveolar nerve block, Gow-Gates technique, Vazirani akinosi technique, infiltration, intraligamentary, mandibular molar teeth, supplementary local anesthetic technique.
Participants were told that posts of 30 anesthesia specialists were vacant against total posts of 35 professionals.