Anesthesia Types

General Anesthesia

General anesthesia uses intravenous medications and inhaled anesthetic gases to place the patient in a controlled state of unconsciousness or “deep sleep”. During this time the patient’s vital functions are monitored and maintained within normal values and there is no perception of the senses or time.

Prior to surgery, Dr. Kushner will determine the best combination of medications and dosages with the key determining factors being age, weight, medical history, current medications and previous anesthetics. It is important to provide the anesthesiologist with accurate and truthful answers to his questions, which are protected under doctor-patient confidentiality. This information is pertinent to safety and selecting the proper technique.

Intravenous Sedation

IV Sedation, otherwise known as “twilight” anesthesia, is sedation delivered through an intravenous line. IV Sedation induces a state of deep relaxation; patients are not bothered by what is going on around them. Most patients do not recall events during surgery since the medications used in IV sedation produce either partial or full memory loss during the procedure. Time will appear to pass very quickly.