Anesthesia refers to the use of medications (called anesthetics) to keep you from feeling pain during procedures or surgery. Anesthetics temporarily block sensory signals from your nerves at the site of the procedure to the centers in your brain.

Anesthesia (American English) or anaesthesia (British English) is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), amnesia (loss of memory), and unconsciousness.

Jul 30, 2024 · Anesthesia prevents the feeling of pain by stopping nerves from passing signals to the brain. Anesthesia is commonly characterized into four main types: general, regional, local, and sedation (monitored anesthesia care, or MAC).

Jan 17, 2025 · General anesthesia brings on a sleep-like state with the use of a combination of medicines. The medicines, known as anesthetics, are given before and during surgery or other medical procedures.

Nov 30, 2021 · Anesthesia is a type of medication that prevents people from feeling pain during or following surgery. There are four main categories of anesthesia: local, regional, general, and sedation.

May 19, 2015 · Anesthesia—whether it numbs your mouth or puts you into a full sleep—is designed to keep you comfortable during a procedure that otherwise might be hard to tolerate physically, emotionally, or both.

General anesthesia is medicine that is used to put you in a state like deep sleep during surgery. The medicine may be inhaled through a breathing mask or tube. Or it may be given through an IV (intravenous) line.

Feb 13, 2025 · Anesthesia is a medical intervention that prevents patients from feeling pain during procedures like surgery, certain screening and diagnostic tests, tissue sample removal (e.g., skin biopsies), and dental work.

Oct 31, 2023 · Anesthesia is the use of medicines to prevent pain during surgery and other procedures. These medicines are called anesthetics. They may be given by injection, …

Mar 13, 2025 · UCLA's Dr. Cecilia Canales shares her expertise about anesthesia side effects, discusses how anesthesia works, and clarifies some common misconceptions.