Advice Sheets

Anaesthetic Advice Sheets

Anaesthesia means ‘without sensation’. Anaesthesia is administered so that surgery can be carried out safely and without pain. An anaesthetist is a doctor who has specialized training in anaesthesia. All anaesthetists are trained to nationally agreed standards and the anaesthesia team is led by consultant anaesthetists.

Anaesthesia may be given in various ways:

• Local or regional anaesthesia results in loss of sensation to a particular part of your body. You can be fully awake for surgery under a local or regional anaesthetic, or if you prefer, your anaesthetist may give you sedatives to make you feel drowsy.
• General Anaesthesia ensures that you are unconscious and feel nothing. Local anaesthesia and general anaesthesia are frequently combined to provide pain relief after surgery.

The AAGBI and Royal College of Anaesthetists have produced an excellent series of information leaflets to answer your questions about anaesthesia.

Advice Sheets

Some hospitals will have localised advise sheets or information, see below