What is anesthesia

The word "anesthesia" is derived from the Greek (an- without + aisthesis, feeling). Anesthesia is the loss of normal sensation, especially the awareness of pain. This loss of sensation is brought on in anesthesia patients with anesthetic drugs.

General Anesthesia causes complete loss of consciousness.
Local Anesthesia causes loss of feeling only to a small area of the body.
Regional Anesthesia causes loss of feeling to a larger part of the body such as an arm or leg. Examples: nerve blocks,Bier Block (intravenous regional)
Spinal or Epidural Anesthesia is a type of regional anesthesia that affects the lower part of the body.
Sedation is used either alone or in conjunction with local or regional anesthesia to calm the patient.

Click on the above links for more details about each anesthetic choice.