Anesthesia was once the most feared part of surgery. No more! Dramatic advances in monitoring blood pressure, pulse, respiration, blood oxygenation, and breath detection have enhanced the safety of all types of anesthesia. A modern anesthesia machine resembles the cockpit of a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.

 
The two most common types of anesthesia are general and regional.

 
General: Gas and drugs, including muscle relaxants, are usually given and the patient is completely asleep. The newest airway protection device used for some types of general anesthesia is called Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA). These airway tubes are not inserted past the vocal cords in the throat, another plus for patient safety. Even the materials used in airway protection tubes have advanced safety features so that intubation is guaranteed to be in the right place. The safety of general anesthesia is parallel with safety of regional anesthesia.

 
Regional: Only part of the body is numb. It is common to also give some sedative so that the fear of being awake in the frightening environment of an operating room is eliminated. The most common types of regional anesthesia are spinal and epidural anesthesia.

 
Spinal anesthesia (sometimes called a nerve block) is now delivered with such miniature needles that once feared spinal headache is almost a relic of the past.

 
Epidural anesthesia is often suggested for hip and knee replacement surgery. A very small tube is introduced on top of the spine and left in place for pain controll after surgery.

 
For The Florida Knee and Orthopedic Center patients, pain control after surgery is now done with a local anesthetic delivered directly into the operative site. We are now involved in a multi-center clinical trial to promote this friendly pain control method to orthopedic surgeons around the world. Also used are relaxation and imagery techniques to help interfere with the perception of pain.

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