ABSTRACT
Anesthetic goals are similar in all branches of surgery [1]. The patient’s primary concerns are analgesia (freedom from pain), hypnosis (freedom from awareness), and amnesia (freedom from memory of any noxious stimuli). The surgeon’s anesthetic goals are safety, paralysis or relaxation, and measured duration. Additional considerations are ease of administration, hemodynamic stability, lack of residual effects, and cost. Although these goals are universal, there are specific requirements unique to colorectal surgery. These objectives are realized through the use of general, regional, or local anesthetic techniques; frequently a combination of two or three may be employed.
