(anesthesia) A loss of feeling or awareness caused by drugs or other substances. Anesthesia keeps patients from feeling pain during surgery or other procedures. Local anesthesia is a loss of feeling in one small area of the body. Regional anesthesia is a loss of feeling in a part of the body, such as an arm or leg. General anesthesia is a loss of feeling and a complete loss of awareness that feels like a very deep sleep.

(anesthesia) A state characterized by loss of feeling or sensation. This depression of nerve function is usually the result of pharmacologic action and is induced to allow performance of surgery or other painful procedures.

(anesthesia) Anesthesia is the use of medicines to prevent pain during surgery and other procedures. These medicines are called anesthetics. They may be given by injection, inhalation, topical lotion, spray, eye drops, or skin patch. They cause you to have a loss of feeling or awareness. Anesthesia may be used in minor procedures, such as filling a tooth. It could be used during childbirth or procedures such as colonoscopies. And it is used during minor and major surgeries. In some cases, a dentist, nurse, or doctor may give you an anesthetic. In other cases, you may need an anesthesiologist. This is a doctor who specializes in giving anesthesia. There are several different types of anesthesia: Local anesthesia numbs a small part of the body. It might be used on a tooth that needs to be pulled or on a small area around a wound that needs stitches. You are awake and alert during local anesthesia.; Regional anesthesia is used for larger areas of the body such as an arm, a leg, or everything below the waist. You may be awake during the procedure, or you may be given sedation. Regional anesthesia may be used during childbirth, a Cesarean delivery (C-section), or minor surgeries.; General anesthesia affects the whole body. It makes you unconscious and unable to move. It is used during major surgeries, such as heart surgery, brain surgery, back surgery, and organ transplants. Anesthesia is generally safe. But there can be risks, especially with general anesthesia, including: Heart rhythm or breathing problems; An allergic reaction to the anesthesia; Delirium after general anesthesia. Delirium makes people confused. They may be unclear about what is happening to them. Some people over the age of 60 have delirium for several days after surgery. It can also happen to children when they first wake up from anesthesia.; Awareness when someone is under general anesthesia. This usually means that the person hears sounds. But sometimes they can feel pain. This is rare.

(anesthesia) State characterized by loss of feeling or sensation; depression of nerve function is usually the result of pharmacologic action and is induced to allow performance of surgery or other painful procedures.

(anesthesia) Temporarily blocking sensation, especially the feeling of pain.

Treatment with a pharmacological substance that produces a loss of feeling.

Anesthesia, loss of physical sensation, with or without loss of consciousness, as artificially induced by the administration of drugs, inhalant gases, or other agents. The use of anesthetic gases in surgery was first proposed by British chemist Sir Humphrey Davy in 1798, following his observation...