Anesthesia

The goal of anesthesia is to control pain during and after medical procedures, such as surgery. Effective anesthesia can also reduce your fear and anxiety about procedures.

Anesthesia is managed by anesthesiologists — medical doctors trained in anesthesia — and certified registered nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs. CRNAs are advanced-practice registered nurses who specialize in providing anesthesia.

Types of anesthesia

There are three main types of anesthesia:

• General anesthesia – Under general anesthesia, you’re “asleep.” You will not feel pain and will not remember the procedure.
• Regional anesthesia – Regional anesthesia prevents nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. It’s used to block pain in an area of the body. These include epidurals, such as used during childbirth.
• Local anesthesia – Local anesthesia uses medication to numb a small area of your body. Under local anesthesia, you stay awake and are aware of what’s happening to you.

When general anesthesia is required, we use anesthetic techniques after the procedure to help control pain with minimal use of opioids or opiates.

Your partner in care

We’ll meet with you before any procedure to discuss your anesthesia options and concerns. Ask any questions you have about how the anesthesia will work and how long it will last.

You’ll also learn about how you should prepare for a procedure, side effects that you might experience and what will happen when the anesthesia wears off.

Specializing in controlling pain

Along with in-hospital anesthesia services, we also offer the Tanner Pain Management Center. This center specializes in innovative pain control techniques for people with chronic or long-term pain.

Want to know more?

You can learn more about anesthesia - including types of anesthesia and the latest anesthesia research - in our health library.