What is general anaesthesia?
With a general anaesthetic, drugs are given to make you unconscious. In this state, most of your brain stops working, which means that you don’t feel any pain. This type of anaesthetic is always administered by a qualified anaesthetist, a medical doctor who has had special training in the use of anaesthesia. He controls the length of time you remain asleep and keeps a careful eye on your wellbeing during and after surgery. Regular checks are performed to monitor pulse rate, blood pressure and other vital signs throughout the operation. Intravenous drips and blood transfusions are given if needed and a number of drugs are available if any complications arise, such as abnormalities of heart rate, breathing or circulation. HOW THEY ARE GIVEN General anaesthetics can be given using a number of methods, For instance, they can be given intravenously, by means of an injection, or by inhaling an anaesthetic gas through a face mask. In addition, an injection may be used on its own or may be com
