Thorough Understanding of Anesthesia: Preoperative and Postoperative Considerations

Anesthesia is an integral part of modern medicine, allowing surgery and other painful medical procedures to be performed in a pain-free and safe environment. However, the anesthesia process itself involves certain risks and complexities, requiring close cooperation between the patient and the medical team. To ensure a safe and successful anesthesia procedure, patients need to follow a number of important precautions before and after surgery. 1. Preoperative precautions Fasting and water deprivation During a period of time before surgery, usually 6-8 hours, patients need strict fasting and water deprivation. This is to prevent vomiting and aspiration during anesthesia, which can lead to asphyxia or aspiration pneumonia. The fasting time of newborns and infants is relatively short, but the specific time should follow the doctor’s instructions. Medication management patients need to communicate with their doctors in detail before surgery about all the medicines they are using, including prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Some drugs may need to be stopped or adjusted before operation, especially anticoagulants, antihypertensive drugs and hypoglycemic drugs. For patients who take drugs for chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes for a long time, they should confirm with their doctors whether they need to continue taking drugs before operation. Personal hygiene The day before surgery, patients should perform personal hygiene cleaning, especially skin preparation of the surgical area, such as shaving and cleaning the navel, to reduce the risk of infection. Psychological preparation Surgery and anesthesia may bring psychological stress and anxiety to patients, so it is very important to have adequate rest and relaxation before surgery. If necessary, consult your doctor about the use of sedative drugs. Patients with special circumstances should inform their doctors of all relevant medical history, including allergies, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and whether they have bad habits such as smoking and drinking. Before entering the operating room, anesthesiologists, surgeons and nurses will check personal information, surgical sites and anesthesia methods with patients to ensure the accuracy of all information. Monitoring and Care During anesthesia and surgery, patients receive close monitoring of their vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and oxygen saturation. The medical team will adjust the depth of anesthesia and the dosage of drugs according to the patient’s condition. In the process of privacy protection surgery, healthcare workers will pay attention to protecting the privacy of patients, only expose the necessary surgical sites, and take measures to keep warm. After the operation, the patient will be monitored in the resuscitation room until he is fully awake and recovers basic physiological functions, such as spontaneous breathing and consciousness recovery. Posture and Mobility In the early postoperative period, patients usually need to lie flat for a period of time with their heads tilted to one side to prevent aspiration of vomit. With the in stable condition, they can gradually begin to move in bed and walk out of bed under the guidance of healthcare workers. The recovery of diet after surgery needs to be carried out according to the patient’s specific situation and the doctor’s advice. It usually starts with a liquid diet and gradually transitions to a semi-liquid and ordinary diet. Pain management Postoperative pain is a common phenomenon, and patients should talk to their doctors about the use of appropriate pain medications to reduce pain and promote recovery. Wound care Patients need to follow their doctor’s instructions for wound care, including keeping the wound clean and dry, avoiding strenuous exercise and heavy lifting, and changing dressings regularly. Complications need to be closely observed after surgery for complications of anesthesia and surgery, such as nausea, vomiting, fever, infection, bleeding and so on. If there is any abnormal situation, the healthcare workers should be informed in time. Follow-up and review According to the doctor’s arrangement, patients need follow-up and review after operation to evaluate their recovery and adjust their treatment plan. 4. After general anesthesia, patients need to pay special attention to the patency of the respiratory tract to prevent the tongue from falling back and the secretion from blocking the airway. Vital signs should be closely monitored during resuscitation until the patient is fully conscious. After local anesthesia, patients should pay attention to whether there are allergic reactions or toxic reactions of local anesthetics, such as rash, itching, dizziness, tinnitus and other symptoms, and inform the doctor in time. Intraspinal Anesthesia After intraspinal anesthesia, the patient may need to lie flat for a period of time to prevent complications such as headaches. In addition, attention should be paid to the sensory and motor functions of the lower limbs, as well as urinary retention. After nerve block anesthesia, patients need to pay attention to the sensory and motor function of the surgical area, as well as whether there are symptoms of nerve injury, such as paresthesia or dyskinesia. 5. Anesthesia precautions under special circumstances Children’s anesthesia requires special attention to age, weight and development. Preoperative fasting time and drug dosage should be adjusted according to the specific conditions of children. The elderly may be accompanied by a variety of chronic diseases and have poor tolerance to anesthetic drugs, so a comprehensive preoperative evaluation should be carried out and the anesthetic regimen should be adjusted to reduce the risk. Anesthesia for pregnant women needs to consider the safety of the fetus, choose anesthetic drugs and methods that have less impact on the fetus, and closely monitor the condition of the mother and the fetus. By fully understanding and following the above preoperative and postoperative precautions, patients can better cooperate with the medical team, reduce the risk of anesthesia and surgery, and promote postoperative recovery and health.