What are the types of anaesthesia?

• Local anaesthesia: For more simple surgeries, we may only need to give you a local anaesthetic. This will numb the surgical site so surgery can be carried out painlessly.
• Some patients may benefit from a sedative drug administered intravenously prior to  the administration of local anaesthetic. The drug relieves anxiety in patients and produces a conscious sedation. This sedation creates a ‘twilight sleep’, enabling surgery to be carried out without causing distress.
• General anaesthesia: In some circumstances it may be necessary to use a general anaesthetic. In these cases, patients are administered drugs by a specialist anaesthetist to produce a deep sleep for the duration of the surgery. These procedures are always carried out in a hospital operating room.  We can arrange both day cases and overnight stays in the appropriate hospital for the surgery.

There are some circumstances where general anaesthetic is preferred. Dr. West will discuss the anaesthetic options with you taking into consideration your medical history.