“How is anesthesia different for people with serious illnesses?”
I am a 60 year old female. I want to know how is anesthesia different for people with serious illnesses?
3 Answers
While it depends on the specifics of the individual medical issue, each anesthetic is tailored individually. All the medical issues and other comorbidities are taken into account while an individual anesthetic is thought out and designed for the patient.
This is why an anesthesiologist is best suited for difficult cases. Almost every disease process is affected by anesthesia in various ways. It is why anesthesiologists do 4 years of training after medical school.
Our job is to pick the anesthetic best tailored to the patient with consideration of all their illnesses and comorbidities. Sometimes that might mean different medications, fewer medications, lower doses, or possibly different techniques like nerve blocks with sedation versus general anesthesia.
