Anesthesia is defined depending on the effect that it has on the

Anesthesia is defined depending on the effect that it has on the patient’s sensory and pain perception. The different definitions are minimal sedation, moderate, deep, and general anesthesia. Analgesics are typically used by surgeons for pain management during the surgery and afterwards. The surgeon chooses what type of anesthesia the patient receives based on factors such as physical and mental status, age, allergies, and the type of procedure. Moderate to deep sedation are procedures that are done outside of the operating room. General anesthesia is used for patients depending on the duration of the procedure, positions they may be in that could be uncomfortable, or need control of breathing and ventilation. Side effects of general anesthesia include loss of sensation and unconsciousness, skeletal muscle relaxation, and the need for airway management. Moderate sedation, also known as conscious sedation, is often used for minor therapeutic procedures and the patient is responsive and can breathe without ventilation. Spinal anesthesia is a type of regional anesthesia which is injection of a local anesthetic into the cerebrospinal fluid below the L2 spine. The anesthetic mixes with the fluid which can produce autonomic, sensory, and motor blocks. The patient will feel no pain but they will also not be able to move. The procedures these are most often used for are joint replacements or GI and prostate surgeries. An epidural block on the other hand is an injection of a local anesthetic in the epidural space through a thoracic spine or lumbar spine. MSensory pathways are blocked but not motor unless a higher dosage is used. Most oftentimes, epidural anesthesia is used with analgesics. It is important to monitor for an anaphylactic reaction (Harding et al., 2023). Respond t with additional nursing considerations to think about.