Your surgeon will determine which type of anesthesia is most appropriate based on your procedure, individual medical history and current needs. Regardless of the type of anesthesia you receive, you will be closely monitored throughout the surgery. If you have any questions, please ask your surgeon, nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist. Types of anesthesia include:

Local Anesthesia: An anesthetic agent (numbing medication) is injected into the surgical area to block pain sensations during the procedure. You may remain awake or you may receive another type of anesthesia to help you relax. Procedures commonly performed under local anesthesia include trigger finger release and cystoscopy.

Moderate Sedation: In this technique, you are given medication through an intravenous line or by mouth (a pill) to make you sleepy. You may also be given a local anesthetic. Although patients are not asleep, they usually do not remember much. Procedures such as eye surgeries and carpal tunnel release typically use this form of anesthesia.

General Anesthesia: This type of anesthesia is given through an intravenous line or inhaled. It affects your brain and entire body so you are completely unaware; the anesthesia provider will assist your breathing. This will require a tube to be placed to support your breathing. This type of anesthesia is used for procedures such as gallbladder removal, shoulder surgeries and tonsillectomies.

Regional Anesthesia: This involves injecting a local anesthetic agent (numbing medication) around major nerves or spinal cord to block pain from a larger part of the body. You will receive medication to help you relax. Patients with regional anesthesia typically are less drowsy after an operation. Often they experience less nausea and vomiting than may be experienced in patients who undergo general anesthesia.

Peripheral Nerve Block: This is a type of regional anesthesia that involves a local anesthetic agent (numbing medication) being injected near a specific nerve or group of nerves to block pain from the area of the body supplied by the nerve. Nerve blocks are most commonly used for procedures of the hands, arms, legs, and feet.

Bier Block: This is an intravenous regional anesthesia technique in which an extremity is made numb for surgery by injecting a local anesthetic agent (numbing medication) into a vein after a tourniquet has been placed on it. The tourniquet prevents the numbing medication from leaving the extremity and blood from entering it, giving you a numb (anesthetic) extremity and the surgeon a bloodless field to work in. You also receive sedation to keep you relaxed and sleepy during the surgery. This is commonly used with carpal tunnel release.

Epidural: This involves a local anesthetic injected near the spinal cord and nerves that connect to the spinal cord to block pain from an entire region of the body, such as the abdomen, hips, or legs. We rarely use this type of anesthesia at the Center for Health.