Anaesthesia – Is it safe?

Traditionally Anaesthesia meant General Anaesthesia. Not too long ago, this was the only available option for patients going for an operation. The patients used to be paralysed and then a tube will be put in for breathing. The machine will be doing the breathing for the patient. Patient will be unconscious and unaware. The gases used back then can cause injury to the liver that patients are usually advised not to have General Anaesthesia more than once in 3 months.

Things have changed. The gases that are used nowadays do not cause liver injury. In fact they are very short acting that patient can wake within minutes of finishing operation. Drugs that we use to paralyse also has evolved that they have become shorter acting in nature with minimal residual effects. All this translates to a shorter recovery time and safer anaesthesia practice. Short procedures can be done as Day Care whereby you come fasting in the morning, have the operation done and go home the same day. Columbia Asia strongly believes in this concept and reducing cost by reducing length of stay (LOS).

Nowadays we are moving towards less paralysing and allowing more patients to breathe spontaneously during operation. We facilitate this by using new device for airway such as Laryngeal Mask Airway. This will also cause less sore throat to the patients post operation.

Some operations involving lower half of body can be done under regional anaesthesia, for example Caesarean Section, Operations for Urinary problems and any operations involving lower limbs. Regional Anaesthesia can be either a Spinal, Epidural or combined.

Epidural is also used widely now to relieve pain during labor. It is safe with no side effects to the baby. All this means anaesthetist must now must communicate the best suited anaesthesia for the type of patient and type of operation so maximal satisfaction can be achieved with least side effect or residual effects. We also have to gear towards getting you home as quickly as possible.

All in a day’s work!