Anesthesia consists of the suffix AN (negative) and the word ESTHESI (sensation, feeling) and means insensitivity and numbness. Anesthesia, also known as narcosis among the people, is administered by the Anesthesiology and Reanimation Specialist Doctor. It is the whole of medical practices that ensure that the patient does not feel pain during the operation and does not remember this process, including before and after the operation.

It can be applied as general, regional (regional) or local anesthesia.

Anesthesiologist and Reanimation Specialist: He or she is a medical doctor who has completed at least 4 years of specialization training after graduating from medical school, winning this department in TUS (Medical Specialization Examination).

The American Board of Anesthesiology has determined the working areas of the anesthesiologist as follows:

1. Evaluation of the patients in terms of anesthesia, consultation and preparation of the necessary departments,
2. Relieving pain during surgical, obstetric, therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and proper patient management during this time,
3. Monitoring and ensuring homeostasis both in the perioperative period (pre-operative + during + post-operative period) and in critically ill or injured patients,
4. Diagnosis and treatment of painful syndromes,
5. Performing and teaching cardiac and pulmonary resuscitation,
6. Evaluation of respiratory function and application of all respiratory therapy methods,
7. Training and supervision of medical and paramedical personnel regarding anesthesia, respiratory and critical care,
8. Improving patient care by evaluating physiological functions and drug effects by conducting clinical and basic science research,
9. Administrative contribution to the organization of hospitals, medical faculties and polyclinics in order to carry out the above-mentioned tasks.

Although the anesthesiologist is considered among the specialists in surgical sciences due to the interventional procedures he performs with his knowledge and skills, he is also seen as the “internal medicine doctor” in the operating room, as he has a full command of the patient’s physiology and ensures that the hemodynamics is stable.

As you can see, your life is entrusted to the anesthetists during the operation.

Anesthesia has a history of about 150 years. Initially, application devices consisting of a bottle full of anesthetic agent and a gas buffer; It has gradually evolved into today’s advanced anesthesia devices that deliver gas and anesthetic substances in measured amounts, precisely, and provide artificial respiration and monitoring.

Types of Anesthesia:

General Anesthesia: General anesthesia, which aims to desensitize the body to painful stimuli, must be of sufficient depth. In general anesthesia, the patient’s consciousness is completely closed.

General anesthesia is divided into two according to the route of administration of the general anesthetics used:

1. Intravenous anesthesia if given intravenously
2. If given by inhalation, it is called inhalation anaesthesia.

Regional Anesthesia: It is the numbing of a certain part of the body (arm, leg, etc.) by administering local anesthetic drugs through special needles. Spinal anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, RIVA, nerve blocks

Local Anesthesia: It is the numbing of the area where the minor surgical intervention is performed.

The anesthesiologist determines the anesthesia method according to the patient’s age, existing comorbidities and the type of surgery to be performed.