ABSTRACT
In this chapter we discuss anaesthesia and the techniques and drugs involved. We will also describe the anaesthetic room and the equipment and resources that you will encounter in this setting.
Anaesthesia is the loss of feeling in all or part of the body. It can be caused by trauma or disease, but in the context of surgery it refers to the technique of reducing bodily sensation to pain to allow surgical procedures to be carried out. The effect of anaesthesia can be achieved across the whole body using a general anaesthetic, or restricted to a localized region by use of a regional anaesthetic technique. The decision to use a general, regional or local technique will depend upon various factors, including the type and site of the operation, the patient’s physical health and the experience and preference of the anaesthetist and surgeon.
