What you need to know about anesthesia before a surgery

The article is professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Tran Thi Ngat - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec International General Hospital Da Nang.

Anesthesia for surgery is a complicated technique with many potential risks, so safety is the top priority given by the anesthesiologist/technician. The patient will be fully and comprehensively evaluated before surgery to come up with an anesthetic plan suitable for that surgery.

Anesthesia is a method of anesthesia with the purpose of temporarily losing consciousness, sensations and reflexes of the patient with anesthetic agents acting on the central nervous system. Anesthesia will help the patient lie still, pain-free, and not worry or move during the surgery. This is also a method to ensure patient safety because excessive pain and fear can lead to reflex cardiac arrest.
Depending on the route of anesthesia, people are divided into 3 types of anesthesia, including:
Respiratory anesthesia: The patient will inhale anesthetic vapors for anesthesia through the lungs to enter the bloodstream Anesthesia through other routes: Anesthesia intravenous, rectal or intramuscular anesthesia Combined anesthesia: Using different anesthetics through one or more different routes into the patient's body to induce anesthesia. In addition, anesthetics can be used in combination with pain relievers and muscle relaxants.

Anxiety before surgery is inevitable in most patients, so a thorough explanation of the surgical process including anesthesia for the patient is very important to stabilize. Psychological, health control, cooperation, patient best preparation. Some frequently asked questions about anesthesia during surgery include:
Is anesthesia dangerous? The main purpose of anesthesia is to ensure patient safety during surgery and with the development of science and technology, anesthesia has become more widely practiced with fewer dangerous complications. Therefore, patients can be completely assured when undergoing surgical anesthesia.
What do patients need to prepare themselves before anesthesia? Before surgery, all patients will be checked for important functions in the body so that doctors can give appropriate anesthesia. However, patients need to pay attention to fasting for 6 hours before surgery and fast for 3 hours before anesthesia. It is important to keep the stomach empty during anesthesia to avoid complications from reflux of food that immediately blocks the airway.
How long does it take to wake up from anesthesia? With the advancement of anesthetics as well as anesthetic methods, most patients will wake up a few minutes after surgery because the new generation anesthetics are eliminated quickly after stopping using the drug, the feeling after waking up is also good. milder than previous drugs.

Modern anesthetic techniques are generally very safe, but each method of anesthesia still has its risks, side effects or complications. Some complications are temporary, while others have long-term consequences. Common side effects include:
Nausea or vomiting Headache Pain, bruising at the injection site Dry or trauma to the lips and throat Blurry vision, double vision or dizziness Difficult urination Less common can include pain muscle weakness, weakness, mild allergic reactions, pruritus, or temporary nerve damage Some rare and even fatal complications with anesthesia include:
Allergic reactions and constriction of the airways Thrombosis of the lower extremities Epilepsy Seizures Respiratory infections (common in smokers) Severe allergies or shock Sudden high fever Stroke or heart attack Aspiration (pneumonia) Paralysis Blood clots in blood vessels Lung blood lung Brain damage The risk of complications will be increased in patients who are elderly, smoker or overweight, have serious underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, hypertension .

Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that strictly apply safe surgical anesthesia practice standards according to international guidelines. With a team of experienced anesthesiologists and nurses, along with modern equipment such as nerve detectors, ultrasound machines, Karl Storz difficult airway control system, anesthesia monitoring system GE's comprehensive AoA (Adequate of Anesthesia) including monitoring of anesthesia, pain and muscle relaxation will deliver high quality and safety, helping patients to have adequate anesthesia, not awake, no residual relaxant muscle after surgery. Vinmec Health System is also proud to be the first hospital in Vietnam to sign with the World Anesthesiology Association (WFSA) towards the goal of becoming the safest hospital for surgical anesthesia in Southeast Asia.
Doctor Ngat has more than 15 years of experience as an Anesthesiologist and resuscitator at Hospitals: Da Nang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Hospital 199 of the Ministry of Public Security, Tam Tri Hospital in Da Nang. Currently, he is an anesthesiologist at the Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.