Pain during surgery or other medical procedures can be relieved by administering anesthesia. One of the most common anesthetics is spinal anesthesia. Come on, know the spinal anesthesia procedure, its benefits, and the possible side effects.
Spinal anesthesia is a form of local anesthesia that is used to prevent pain in patients who want to perform surgery in the area below the waist. This method is generally safe, although some patients may experience nausea and dizziness as a side effect after surgery.
This is the procedure for giving spinal anesthesia
Spinal anesthesia is generally given when the patient is in the operating room and is performed by the anesthetist. This anesthetic will generally be given with the patient lying on his side with the knees bent toward the chest. This position will help open the gap between the vertebrae to inject the anesthetic.
The anesthesiologist will clean the area of the back where the needle was injected with an antiseptic solution. After that, the doctor injects an anesthetic into the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the spinal cord. Despite the pain, the patient needs to hold himself still at this point.
Within 5–10 minutes, the patient begins to find it difficult to move the legs until they are unable to move the legs at all. This indicates that the spinal anesthetic is working, so the area of the body that is under the injection site, from the stomach to the feet, can no longer feel pain.
Because it includes local anesthesia, spinal anesthesia allows the patient to remain conscious and can hear what is happening in the operating room, but not feel pain during the operation.
In certain conditions, spinal anesthesia can be combined with sedation or general anesthesia. The doctor will provide several options and help the patient to make the best decision. Here is the explanation:
Spinal anesthesia combined with sedation
In this case, the anesthesiologist will give a small amount of drug into the patient's infusion, thus making the patient feel the sedative effect, namely feeling relaxed and sleepy. The patient will be semi-conscious and can still hear the sounds around him even if only a little.
Spinal anesthesia followed by general anesthesia
In some situations, the anesthesiologist may use a combination of spinal anesthesia and general anesthesia. This combination is done if there are unexpected situations during the operation, for example the patient starts to feel uncomfortable or the operation turns out to take longer.
This condition makes the patient need to be given general anesthesia which will make him unconscious during the operation.
These are the Benefits of Using Spinal Anesthesia
As mentioned above, spinal anesthesia numbs the area below the waist during surgery, so the patient does not feel pain. This anesthetic is administered to patients undergoing the following surgeries:
- Caesarean section
- Urological surgery, such as prostate, bladder, or reproductive organ surgery
- Orthopedic surgery, such as hip and leg surgery
- Gynecological surgery, such as myoma removal
- General surgery, such as hernia and hemorrhoids
Apart from preventing pain from surgical procedures, spinal anesthesia also has several other advantages. Among others are:
- Not bad for the respiratory system
- Less risk of chest infection after surgery
- Less risk of confusion after surgery, especially in elderly patients
- Can eat and drink faster after surgery
Beware of Spinal Anesthesia Side Effects
Although spinal anesthesia is considered safe, side effects from this procedure can occur. Generally, the symptoms that arise as a result of this procedure are nausea, dizziness, chills, and fatigue.
In addition, patients may also feel itching and experience low blood pressure after this procedure. Especially in men, the side effect of spinal anesthesia that is often complained of is difficulty urinating.
In some cases, this procedure can also cause patients to experience difficulty breathing, weakness and pain in muscles, and even nerve damage. But don't worry, the doctor will prepare all the anticipated side effects before surgery to reduce the possibility of this happening.
Spinal anesthesia can be used for many types of surgery and is considered safe for most patients, depending on the medical condition and type of surgery being performed.
If you are going to have an operation that requires spinal anesthesia, talk to your doctor about what information you need to know and what to prepare before, during, and after the anesthetic procedure so that your surgery can run more smoothly.
