What is anesthesia?

Anesthesia is a medical treatment that prevents patients from feeling any pain during surgery. Scientists have developed multiple types of anesthetic drugs with different effects. These drugs include general, regional, and local anesthetics. General anesthetics will make the patient unconscious; the patient will not feel any pain and will not remember the procedure afterward. Regional anesthetics blocks any pain in an area of the body like an arm or a leg and the patient will remain awake. A Local anesthetic will numb a small area of the body, and like regional anesthetics, the patient will remain awake and alert.

What do anesthesiologists do?

Anesthesiologists are doctors who carefully monitor patients during surgery and throughout recovery. They use highly advanced equipment to closely monitor a patient's blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, heart function, and breathing patterns. As experts in pain management, anesthesiologists may advise patients on how to manage their pain post-surgery.