Anaesthesia vs. sedation

On 2004-06-30 20:12:39 -0400, [email hidden] (Edgar A

Pearlstein) said:

What is the distinction between anaesthesia and sedation
in surgery?

Anesthesia=unconscious; sedation=seriously groggy

Edgar A Pearlstein said:

What is the distinction between anaesthesia and sedation
in surgery?

Anesthesia renders one insensitive to pain and physical
sensations. Sedation merely prevents one from becoming
agitated or nervous. The former is used to prevent patients
from experiencing pain or uncomfortable sensations during
medical and surgical procedures that would normally produce
either of these. The latter is used to keep patients from
being psychologically uncomfortable during procedures or in
situations that would stress most patients, whether they are
painful/uncomfortable or not (i.e., endoscopy procedures,
which tend to be very stressful, even though they may not
always be truly painful or uncomfortable under most
conditions).

Sedation is always central, i.e., drugs are administered
to calm a person down generally. Anesthesia can be local
or general, meaning that it can be designed to eliminate
sensation in only one part of the body or over the
entire body. General anesthesia usually produces
unconsciousness as well.

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