Anesthesia
Anesthesia (American English), also anaesthesia (British English),
is the process of blocking the perception of pain and other sensations.
This allows patients to undergo surgery and other procedures without
the distress and pain they would otherwise experience. There are
several forms of anesthesia:
general anesthesia — with reversible loss of
consciousness
local anesthesia — with reversible loss of sensation
in a (small) part of the body by localized administration
of anesthetic drugs at the affected site.
regional anesthesia — with reversible loss of
sensation and possibly movement in a region of the body
by selective blockade of sections of the spinal cord
or nerves supplying the region.
Physicians specialising in the administration of anesthetics are
known as anesthesiologists (AE) or anaesthetists (BE). Nurses specialising
in the administration of anesthetics are known as nurse anesthetists
(AE), who typically have gone to graduate school after nursing school,
or have at least obtained certification as a CRNA (Certified Registered
Nurse Anesthetist). "Anesthetist", despite typically (in
the USA) referring to nurses, can refer to a physician or a nurse.
Anesthesiologist Assistants are another group of health care providers
who administer anesthetics. They pursue a graduate degree in anesthesia
from an accredited program and are supervised directly by an anesthesiologist.
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