Anaesthesia at the Bronovo Hospital

Regional anaesthesiaWith regional anaesthesia, the anaesthesiologist will only numb that area of thebody that is to be operated on. As long as the medication is working, you willnot be able to move that part of your body. For an operation on your knee, forexample, only the lower part of the body will be anaesthetized. It is sometimesalso possible to anaesthetize only the leg that is being operated on. This isdetermined by the anaesthesiologist who will be taking care of your anaesthesiaduring the operation.With this form of anaesthesia, you will, in principle, remain awake. The surgicalarea will be screened off so that you will not be able to see the operation takingplace. If you are worried about consciously experiencing the surgery, it is possibleto administer a short acting sleeping medication so that you will notice littleor nothing of what is happening. You may also ask the anaesthesiologist for thisduring the procedure.Some forms of regional anaesthesia have the advantage that after the surgery agood painkiller with localized pain medication can be given. This is administeredvia a catheter (a tube).A. Regional or plexus anaesthesia of shoulder, arm or handFor surgery on a shoulder, an arm or a hand, the network of nerves running tothe arm (brachial plexus) is blocked. The anaesthesiologist inserts a thin needleinto the neck or the armpit and stimulates the nerve with a minute electricalpulse. When the shoulder, arm or hand reacts appropriately, this needle is thenused to administer an anaesthetic. The amount and type of anaesthetic administereddepends on the surgical procedure to be performed and the pain levelexpected after the surgery. For surgery of less than an hour, the anaesthetic canalso be administered directly into a vein of the hand of the arm that will beoperated on (Bier’s block). An infusion needle is inserted into the hand andthen an inflatable cuff is wrapped around the upper arm. After inflating the cuffto fit snugly, the anaesthetic is injected through the infusion needle.The anaesthetic will only spread through the arm as the cuff stops it enteringthe rest of the body. The arm will appear spotty and pale and will becomenumb. After surgery, the cuff is removed and normal sensation returns.B. Regional anaesthesia of the lower bodyFor surgery of the lower body, such as the genitalia, groin, hips or legs, a nerveblock or a lumbar puncture can be used. A nerve block is applied as described6