Dictionary of anesthesia

Anesthesia is a medical specialty that involves the administration of medication to allow medical procedures to be done without pain and, in some cases, without the patient being conscious. This dictionary provides a comprehensive list of terms used in the field of anesthesia.

A[edit | edit source]

Anesthesiologist - A medical doctor who specializes in anesthesia care, pain management, and critical care medicine.
Analgesia - The absence of the sense of pain while conscious.

B[edit | edit source]

Bolus - A single, large dose of medication administered intravenously for immediate effect.

C[edit | edit source]

Central neuraxial block - Anesthesia administered to the central nervous system, such as an epidural or spinal anesthesia.

D[edit | edit source]

Difficult airway - A clinical situation in which a conventionally trained anesthesiologist has difficulty with facemask ventilation, tracheal intubation, or both.

E[edit | edit source]

Endotracheal tube - A flexible plastic tube that is put in the mouth and then down into the trachea to help a patient breathe.

F[edit | edit source]

Fasting guidelines for anesthesia - Recommendations for how long patients should avoid eating or drinking before receiving anesthesia.

G[edit | edit source]

General anesthesia - A medically induced coma with loss of protective reflexes, resulting from the administration of one or more general anaesthetic agents.

H[edit | edit source]

Hypnotic - An agent that causes sleep or loss of consciousness, used in the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia.

I[edit | edit source]

Inhalational anesthetic - A chemical compound possessing general anesthetic properties that can be delivered via inhalation.

L[edit | edit source]

Local anesthetic - A medication used to cause temporary loss of sensory perception in a specific area of the body without affecting consciousness.

M[edit | edit source]

Malignant hyperthermia - A rare life-threatening condition that is triggered by exposure to certain drugs used for general anesthesia.

N[edit | edit source]

Neuromuscular-blocking drug - A class of drugs that block the transmission of nerve impulses in the neuromuscular junction.

O[edit | edit source]

Opioid - A type of narcotic pain medication that can also be used as part of anesthesia.

P[edit | edit source]

[[Postoperative nause] and vomiting]] (PONV) - Nausea and vomiting that occur after anesthesia, which is a common complication of surgery.

R[edit | edit source]

Regional anesthesia - Loss of sensation in a region of the body produced by application of an anesthetic directly to nerve roots or nerve trunks.

S[edit | edit source]

Sedation - The administration of a sedative drug to produce a state of calm or sleep.
Spinal anesthesia - A type of central neuraxial block that involves injection of a local anesthetic into the subarachnoid space.

T[edit | edit source]

Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) - A technique of anesthesia which uses a combination of agents given exclusively by the intravenous route without the use of inhalation agents.

V[edit | edit source]

Ventilation - The process of moving breathable air into and out of the lungs in a patient who is under anesthesia.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of terms, and anesthesia is a complex and evolving field. For more detailed explanations and a comprehensive understanding, refer to the individual pages linked above.

Detailed list of anesthesiology terms[edit | edit source]

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