August 7th, 2008 
Von by Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.
When facing surgery or an invasive procedure, anesthesia is one of the things we worry about. Will we feel pain? Will we be completely asleep? Will we wake up? Fortunately, the science of anesthesia has progressed dramatically in recent years, reducing the risks and side effects associated with old inhaled drugs such as ether and increasing our options for painless, anxiety-free surgery.
Strictly speaking, anesthesia is the effect produced by drugs that block nerve impulses and leave the body or part of the body more or less insensitive to pain. The effects range from a short-lived numbness of a patch of skin or an extremity, to complete loss of sensation, unconsciousness, and temporary paralysis. Nowadays, anesthesia also includes medications that relieve anxiety and post-procedure pain, control of nausea and vomiting and, sometimes, even blocking our memories of the events during a procedure. (more…)
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