Dr. Marc Morales

Typically not if a corrective eye surgery such as LASIK this can be done with local anesthesia and mild sedation taken prior to surgery. There are other more complicated laser surgeries that usually involve the retina that while still can be done with local anesthesia many are done in facilities where anesthesia is available for standby or they use Monitored Assisted Anesthesia Care )MAC)

Marc A Morales MD

This will depend on your general health, and the type of anesthetics utilized. Most of the anesthetic is already "worn off" by the time you are in the recovery room. Most of the side effects patients experience such as nausea, sleepiness, etc are due to the pain medication and or other sedatives which may be given in conjunction with or after the anesthesia. Many back surgeries are now same day surgeries, and if in good health, and the usual type of anesthetics are given for this procedure, the effects should be gone within 6-12 hours post your surgery. The effects of the pain medication or other medications may persist while you are on them.

Usually the surgeon will coordinate with the anesthesiologist to have a pre-surgical meeting where they will go over your child's medical history and perform a brief examination. At this point they will also answer any questions you have, or your child may have concerning the anesthesia, its side effects, and what you and the child can expect. Most kids do quite well with general anesthesia, and due to the medication utilized have little memory of the actual anesthesia itself. Most people may experience being tired post the anesthesia, feeling of cold of shivering briefly, and some experience nausea. Typically most patients do quite well.

Shivering to anesthesia is usually not related directly to anesthetics, but rather the IV fluids given and the cooler ambient room temperatures present in the operating room, and post-op area. The cool environment and cool IV fluids lower body temperature which is preferable surgical wise for a number of reasons. However, the natural response of the body is shivering
in order to activate the muscles to increase internal body temperature. This is usually temporary and subsides when body temperature returns to normal.

I assume this was a tooth extraction? I do not know if an upper or lower tooth was extracted. Most dentists use 1%-2% Lidocaine and typically the time to wear off is 2-6 hours. If you experience longer than 4-6 hours, you should contact your provider to ascertain what medication was used and if any follow-up appointment is needed to address the continuing effect of
the anesthetic.

I am not sure how old your son is, or what anesthesia he received. I am also not aware if he had any pre-existing conditions. There are some patients, however, that when they receive anesthesia can have some opposite effects to the expected sedation. These people may experience and increase in activity rather than sedation. This in medicine is referred to as a type
of adverse effect or sometimes a limited idiosyncratic reaction or basically an unexpected reaction. Some children for example when given a sedative instead of getting tired, speed up. These reactions are typically rare and time limited, and should disappear as the anesthesia or medication is metabolized and eliminated from the body.

If the symptoms continue, it would be wise to have your son examined by his pediatrician and or internist and consult with the anesthesiologist to determine what, if any, of the medications used may have contributed to this.

Yes, there is difference between local and regional anesthesia, however, it can come confusing. Local anesthesia is typically adding anesthesia to a small area. An example may be if you had a laceration to your scalp requiring stitches, we would often use Lidocaine to numb the area with the laceration so it could be repaired with stitches. In regional anesthesia, as the word implies, we are blocking a region in the distribution of path of the nerve, so a larger area. A good example of this may be if you had medical reasons where doing general anesthesia should be avoided, and say perhaps a fractured wrist. The doctor wants to reduce the fracture and place an initial cast. We could do a regional anesthesia that would block the sensation going to the wrist/hand by blocking the nerve/branches. Thus a small amount of anesthetic can be used and kept in the area by slowing down blood flow, and the reduction of the fracture can be done painlessly without the risk or bother of general anesthesia. There are other examples, but I hope this explains the difference.

Generally, prior to any surgery you will meet with the anesthesiologist and/or the surgeon will get a clearance from your doctors that you are stable from medical standpoint for the surgery. All vital signs including your blood pressure are closely monitored during the surgery. Typically, you may even be allowed to take your normal blood pressure medicine prior to surgery depending when it is scheduled. Most anesthesia used causes the blood pressure to drop slightly and therefore it is carefully monitored. Fluids are usually given as well to normalize your fluid and electrolyte status. If you have any other concerns or questions prior to your surgery, please let your surgeon, internist, or anesthesiologist know.

Yes if she is in good health and not allergic to local anesthetic such as Lidocaine or Novocain the dentist will likely numb the gum area with local anesthetic swab then inject the anesthetic to numb the area. Most children tolerate this well but some very fearful patients depending on the office facility and personnel may use a form of mild sedation before the procedure. Talk this over with the dentist to determine what will work best in their opinion and minimize the discomfort

Marc A Morales MD

This is an excellent question and depends on many factors, as to the wishes of the patient, facility, family, etc. Many patients, depending on the situation, may be on pain medication which in itself has a side effect of sedation, but many may have wishes for as-needed sedation. An example may be a patient who has lung cancer and has "air hunger" or shortness of breath, which leaves them feeling anxious despite oxygen. In those cases, an IV drip of a sedative agent which can be turned up or down to keep the patient comfortable, but still interactive can be excellent.

There are many strategies than can be implemented, often Hospice or Pallative care physicians may feel comfortable recommending the proper combination of medications. If in doubt, ask for an anesthesia consult in addition, as often anesthesiologists are experts at reducing pain and maintaining sedation at a proper level to allow for patient comfort, but
can be easily woken. These medications often have reversal agents should there be an imbalance causing over sedation.

The best advice I can give family members and patients is to meet with their family and physicians before filling out power of health care living will or advance care directives. If done with pallative or hospice doctors and staff, and including anesthesiologists if needed, the type of sedation and or pain relief can be discussed and implemented before it is needed.

There may be food restrictions if having a type of gastrointestinal surgery or procedure, but typically not from anesthesia alone. Some anesthesia may cause nausea, therefore immediately after, ice chips, or clear liquids or jello may be best until you are sure you are able to tolerate regular food

For relocation of a shoulder, typically we utilize a combination of sedation plus a pain medication intravenously to assist in reducing the shoulder. If further surgical intervention would be required to repair any tendon or ligament damage, then usually a general anesthetic is utilized with a local anesthetic often added after surgery to enhance pain relief.

Generally the dentist will likely utilize local anesthesia to repair them they can block all the lower teeth on one side or the other by using a local block... upper teeth require injection locally to the individual teeth involved. Some oral surgeons utilize sedation as well but be sure to discuss that before hand and determine if they have proper personnel and equipment to monitor that if it is required.

Marc A Morales MD

With a transplant surgery typically this would require general anesthesia. Your surgeon and anesthesiologist will come up with the safest plan for anesthesia wise given your basic general health, kidney function, etc.

Marc A Morales MD

It would be unusual to have nausea a week or so from stent placement however you should review your medication list with your internist and your pharmacist to insure that no new medications have been started or that there are any possible interactions from any of the medications that you are taking.

Marc A Morales MD

With this question, there is lot I am not able to tell you exactly. Your age, general health, and other medical conditions, the length of bowel being resected, and if on steroids or other similar immuno-suppressive agents may affect recovery time. The general anesthesia time is unknown because it will start just before your procedure and end slightly after the procedure. If you have never had any problems with anesthesia before, and if you have good general health, the recovery from the anesthesia portion should be relatively quickly. Some patients experience some nausea, and sleepiness depending on the length of the procedure, agents used, etc.
Hopefully this gives you some answers, prior to your operation, the surgeon and anesthesiologist typically will meet with you directly to discuss this. Please raise these questions with them. Good luck on your procedure.

It is always best to make sure your internist is aware of the surgery you are having and that there are no contraindications to having the surgery. In most cases, the anesthesia provider will meet with you briefly before the surgery to make sure as well everything is good to go. Most of the time, we ask that patients take the normal blood pressure medication prior to surgery. Most anesthetics utilized typically lower blood pressure local anesthetics may raise them slightly if they contain an additive that helps to prevent localized bleeding. However, the anesthesiologist is prepared for these things, and if you have any other concerns or questions, please feel free to ask your private physician and/or the anesthesia provider so that you won't worry.

This depends on the physician doing the procedure, your general health etc. Often a local anesthetic can be used with mild sedation if necessary

This often depends on the reason for bronchoscopy. Most often those because the vocal cords are very sensitive and can result in bronchospasm a short acting sedative is utilized with monitored anesthetic care (MAC).

Provided you are in good general health, and had no prior problems with anesthesia, yes anesthesia would be safe during that time period.