ABSTRACT
Anaesthesia provides the vital interface between the surgeon and the patient. Caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia is the default technique in most circumstances to allow the patient to fully experience and remember the birth. A standard general anaesthetic can be broken down into the provision of three separate but interrelated elements: hypnosis, analgesia and akinesia. Some surgery only causes a little nociception and so a 'light' plane of anaesthesia is suitable. With experience of the surgery the anaesthetist can predict and anticipate these changes and titrate the plane of anaesthesia accordingly. The drug dose that gives the right plane of anaesthesia with least side effects differs between a frail, elderly patient with severe co-morbidities and a boisterous youth with intoxicating habits. Preparation, vigilance and anticipation are vital to pull off the trick of anaesthesia without harming the patient or allowing him or her to come to harm.
