General anesthesia is a medically induced state of controlled unconsciousness in which a person does not experience awareness of a procedure and typically has reduced sensation, movement, and protective reflexes.
General anesthesia is produced using one or more anesthetic medicines, given through inhalation, injection, or both. It is used for operations and other procedures that require a person to remain unconscious and unable to respond normally to stimulation.
General anesthesia is used for some surgical procedures, including certain cesarean sections when regional anesthesia is unsuitable or when immediate delivery is necessary.
During general anesthesia, an anesthesia professional continuously monitors functions such as breathing, oxygen levels, blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature. Because some anesthetic medicines suppress normal breathing and protective airway reflexes, airway support and assisted ventilation may be necessary.
QUICK FACT
Most planned cesarean sections today are performed using spinal or epidural anesthesia rather than general anesthesia.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Spinal anesthesia: produces numbness and loss of sensation in a region of the body while the person is usually awake.
- Epidural anesthesia: delivers local anesthetic around the spinal nerves, usually through a catheter, to provide regional pain relief or anesthesia.
SEE ALSO
- Spinal Anesthesia
- Epidural
- Anesthesia
- Surgery