You searched for: “anesthesia
anaesthesia, anesthesia (s) (noun); anaesthesias; anesthesias (pl)
A partial or complete loss of sensation, with or without the loss of consciousness as a result of disease, injury, or the administration of a painkilling agent, usually by injection, inhalation, or hypnosis: Although anesthesia is used to eliminate tactile sensibility, or of any of the other senses, it refers especially to the absence of pain because it is induced to permit the performance of surgery or other painful procedures.

Local anesthesia affects a limited area of the body as opposed to general anesthesia, which affects the whole body.

Arrow pointing to words and info sections The index of anesthesia history, Parts 1, 2, and 3.

local or regional anaesthesia, anesthesia (s) (noun phrase); local or regional anaesthesias; anesthesias (pl)
Medication, administered locally or regionally, which is used to eliminate pain in specific parts of the body, such as the area in which surgery is taking place: In local anesthesia, an agent is injected into the actual surgical site, while in regional anesthesia, the anesthetic agent is injected at a distance from the surgical site near the nerve that supplies that particular area.

The surgeon used a regional anesthesia when operating on Mike's foot, dulling the pain from his ankle and down to his toes.

(a history of anesthesia or anaesthesia)
(the mandragora, or mandrake, plant was used as an anesthesia)
(more history of anesthesia or anaesthesia)
(historical background of anesthesia)
Word Entries containing the term: “anesthesia
ambulatory anesthesia (s) (noun), ambulatory anesthesias (pl)
The administration of anesthesia, which makes the patient insensitive to pain, when he or she is admitted and discharged on the same day of a minor surgical procedure: When Mariam fell and had a minor wound on her arm, she had ambulatory anesthesia during the medical treatment and so she was able to walk to her car with her husband so he could drive her home.
anesthesia awareness (s) (noun), anesthesia awarenesses (pl)
The phenomenon of being mentally alert, and terrified, while supposedly under full general anesthesia: When a patient is paralyzed, unable to speak, and totally helpless to communicate due to his/her anesthesia awareness, the actual cutting pain may or may not be present, however the patient is often unable to communicate with the surgical team when this takes place.

It is said that Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs in approximately 50% of anesthesia awareness victims, and of that 50%, it is believed that 80% may never get over the trauma of such an experience.

angiospastic anesthesia (s) (noun), angiospastic anesthesias (pl)
A loss of sensation as a result of involuntary contractions of the blood vessels: When Jane was at the theater she fainted and it was medically determined that it was because she had angiospastic anesthesia.
caudal anesthesia, caudal epidural anesthesia, caudal block (s) (noun); caudal anesthesias; caudal epidural anesthesias; caudal blocks (pl)
Anesthesia produced by injection of a local anesthetic into the caudal canal (toward the caudal or tail), the sacral portion (large heavy bone at the base of the spine) of the spinal canal: Caudal anesthesia is used to provide anesthesia and analgesia (pain relief) below the umbilicus.

Caudal anesthesia may be the sole anesthetic, or it can be combined with a general anesthesia.

For her knee operation, Dr. Smith, the anesthesiologist, administered a caudal anesthesia so Pearl was awake during the operation but she didn't feel any pain.

electric anesthesia
A temporary anesthesia caused by the passage of an electric current through a part of the body.
This entry is located in the following unit: electro-, electr-, electri- (page 4)
electroanesthesia, electrical anesthesia (s) (noun); electroanaesthesias; electrical anaesthesias (pl)
A general elimination of pain produced by an apparatus that passes electricity of a certain frequency, amplitude, and a wave density through the brain: Dr. Anderson used electroanesthesia while he was removing warts from Lina's feet.
electronic dental anesthesia, EDA
In dentistry, the use of low levels of electric current to block pain signals en route to the brain.

The patient controls the current through a hand-held box. The current creates no discomfort and, unlike local anesthesia, the patient does not have to wait for the numbness to go away once the dental work is completed.

This entry is located in the following units: electro-, electr-, electri- (page 61) -tron, -tronic, -tronics + (page 8)
Esthesia: History of Anesthesia, Part 1 of 3

Anesthesia, Part 1 of 3.

This entry is located in the following unit: Esthesia: Index of Esthesia-Related Units (page 1)
Esthesia: History of Anesthesia, Part 2 of 3

Anesthesia, Part 2 of 3.

This entry is located in the following unit: Esthesia: Index of Esthesia-Related Units (page 1)
Esthesia: History of Anesthesia, Part 3 of 3

Anesthesia, Part 3 of 3.

This entry is located in the following unit: Esthesia: Index of Esthesia-Related Units (page 1)
general anaesthesia, general anesthesia (s) (noun); general anaesthesias; general anesthesias (pl)
1. A medically induced, coma-like state for an individual which resembles deep sleep: Because the surgery was complex and would last for a long time, Dr. McMahon recommended general anesthesia for Patricia.
2. A complete loss of sensation that affects the entire body with a loss of consciousness: The general anesthesia is usually accomplished after the administration of inhalation or intravenous anesthetics and it is commonly used for surgical procedures.
hysterical anesthesia (s) (noun), hysterical anesthesias (pl)
Loss of the sense of pain in the skin which is associated with some psychiatric conditions, taking on geometric configurations or conforming to zones covered by various articles of clothing: In her panic, Isabel experienced hysterical anesthesia because she couldn't feel any sensations on her back where her jacket was so tight.
inhalation anesthesia apparatus
Any device or equipment which is used to induce general anesthesia; such as, an anesthesia machine, a full-face mask, a respiratory airway, an endotracheal tube, or a mechanical ventilator.
This entry is located in the following unit: par-, para- (page 2)
olfactory anesthesia (s) (noun), olfactory anesthesias (pl)
The absence, or loss, of the sense of smell: The fear of olfactory anesthesia was a disturbing factor for the workers at the perfume factory.
paraanesthesia, para-anesthesia (s) (noun); paraanesthesias; para-anesthesias (pl)
Having neither feeling nor any sensation in the lower part of the body: The anticipated outcome of an epidural injection is paraanesthesia.
tactile anesthesia (s) (noun), tactile anesthesias (pl)
The absence or lack of the sense of touch in the fingers, possibly resulting from injury or disease: "Tactile anesthesia can be a result of congenital kor psychosomatic and may cause the patient to incur severe burns, serious cuts, contusions (bruises), or abrasions."
This entry is located in the following unit: tang-, tact-, tast-, ting-, -tig -tag, -teg- (page 5)
traumatic anesthesia (s) (noun), traumatic anesthesias (pl)
The loss of sensation because of an injury to a nerve: Dr. Dawson, the neurologist, explained the positive improvements of Mark's traumatic anesthesia in terms of his ability to resume jogging.