“What is the difference between epidural and general anesthesia?”
I am a 28 year old female. I want to know what is the difference between epidural and general anesthesia?
7 Answers
Epidural anesthesia can numb your body from the middle of your chest down to your toes so you can have surgery anywhere in that area without feeling anything but pressure and can be awake or asleep for the procedure as well. General anesthesia makes you unconscious for any surgery, but has higher risks for postoperative sore throat, nausea, and vomiting. If you are going to have a cesarean delivery, epidural anesthesia has been found to be 17 times safer than general anesthesia.
Epidural anesthesia involves injecting local anesthetic into the epidural space which is just outside the spinal space via the lower back, it may involve just a single shot installation of local anesthetic or insertion of a catheter into the epidural space for a long term instillation of local anesthetic While the patient is fully awake.On the other hand, a general anesthetic involves giving medicines IV and putting the patient completely to sleep, this may involve just mask anesthesia or oral intubation depending on the surgery.
General anesthesia is where a patient is made unconscious through drugs that act in the brain. Epidural anesthesia is where a high concentrate local anesthetic is place in the epidural space, an area around the spinal canal, which produces anesthesia in that area of the body. Epidural meds are more commonly diluted and are used for analgesia, or pain relief, as an
adjunct to general anesthesia.
adjunct to general anesthesia.
An epidural block is a regional anesthesia technique. A needle is placed in the mid-lower back, and local anesthetic +/- narcotic is injected into the epidural space, where spinal sensory nerves exit the spinal cord. Epidural blocks are popular for birthing labor, but can also be useful for lower extremity or lower abdominal surgery.
Generally speaking, patients have the final say over choice of anesthetic. If both epidural and general anesthesia are appropriate choices, we must be talking about a lower abdominal or lower limb procedure. With an epidural you may be completely pain free but many patients do not want to be awake. You may be offered an infusion of sedative medication so that you are both pain free and asleep. This blurs the line between a regional anesthetic (epidural) and a general anesthetic. Not being familiar with you or your upcoming procedure, I can’t give any specific advice. Discuss your preferences and concerns with your anesthesia team
Epidural is a regional anesthesia, where one can selectively and reversible block the spinal cord functions at different levels, depending on the concentration of the drug used. With general Anesthesia, you are rendered unconscious, effectively blocking pain sensation.
An epidural entails placement of a catheter somewhere along the spinal area (depending on the surgery or procedure) and can be used for surgery and/or pain control. Patient is awake during placement. A general anesthetic entails "going to sleep" and can include intubation (placement of an endotracheal tube into your trachea) or placement of an LMA into your airway.
