Department Of anaesthesia & pain management

The study of Anaesthesia and its applications for the management of pain is called Anaesthesiology. Anesthetics are the drugs that are used in the procedure of anesthesia for the treatments. These anesthetics keep you away from feeling pain during medical procedures. Anaesthesiologists are medical professionals who administer anesthesia and manage pain. Some anesthesia numbs a small area of the body is called local anesthesia, whereas, general anesthesia makes you unconscious (asleep) during invasive surgical procedures.

Anesthesia blocks sensory/pain signals, temporarily from nerves to the brain centers. Peripheral nerves connect the spinal cord to the rest of the body.

Types of anesthesia are:

• Local anesthesia: This numbs a small section of the body. Ex: cataract surgery, a dental procedure, or skin biopsy.
• Regional anesthesia: Blocks pain in a greater part of your body, such as a limb or everything below your chest. The patient can be conscious during the procedure or have sedation in addition to the regional anesthetic. Ex: Used in Epidural to ease the pain of childbirth or during a cesarean section (C-section), a spinal for hip or knee surgery, or an arm block for hand surgery.
• General anesthesia: This makes the patient unconscious and insensitive to pain or other stimuli. General anesthesia is used for more invasive surgical procedures, or procedures of the head, chest, or abdomen.
• Sedation: Sedation relaxes you to the point where you will have a more natural sleep, but can be easily aroused or awakened. Light sedation can be prescribed by the person performing your procedure by the doctor. Ex: cardiac catheterization and some colonoscopies. Deep sedation is provided by an anesthesia professional because breathing may be affected by the stronger anesthetic medications

Ways to administer Anaesthesia are:

• Inhaled gas.
• Injection, including shots or intravenously (IV).
• Topical (applied to skin or eyes) liquid, spray, or patch.

Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving the relief of pain in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging.

The four major types of pain:

• Nociceptive Pain: Injured tissue causes this pain
• Inflammatory Pain: An inflammation caused by an unexpected response by the body's immune system.
• Neuropathic Pain: Pain caused by nerve irritation.
• Functional Pain: No cause or no origin known but still causes pain.

Main pain management strategies include:

• Pain medicines.
• Physical therapies (such as heat or cold packs, massage, hydrotherapy, and exercise)
• Psychological therapies (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques, and meditation)
• Mind and body techniques (such as acupuncture)
• Community support groups.

Kasturi hospitals have anesthesia specialists who are immensely experienced in giving the appropriate anesthesia as per the need of the patient and surgeons as well. Keeping all the potential risks and complications in mind, these specialists perform the procedure smoothly and expertly to serve the purpose.