Anesthesia information

Nothing in life is without risk. There is a risk associated with operations, examinations and of course anesthesia. The Anesthesia Department looks after your safety, providing anesthetists and qualified medical attendants who have undergone special training on anesthesia. We take your treatment very seriously, but we need your trust too. This information should help in that respect.

The anesthetist obtains information concerning your state of health by reading your case history and talking to you, but will also ask you about previous anesthesias, and invite you to discuss your previous and accompanying illnesses with them. Usually, premedication is given before the anesthesia is administered. Drowsiness and perhaps a dry mouth are the side-effects.

Respiration and blood circulation are rigorously controlled during the operation. Any irregularities can thus be recognized immediately and dealt with effectively. The anesthesia is usually administered intravenously, meaning that the drugs are given into your blood. During this time you may possibly be asked to breathe through an oxygen mask. After you have fallen asleep, a plastic tube will be inserted into your air pipe (intubation), possibly causing slight damage to your teeth, though this is very rare. The subsequent anesthesia procedure depends on your state of health, the type and duration of the operation and on your illness. The anesthesia is therefore matched precisely to your needs and, with modern anesthesia procedure, incidents, even in difficult cases, very rarely occur.

Sometimes a local anesthesia (spinal- or peridural anesthesia, blocking) is more appropriate than full anesthesia. The area of skin that is to be punctured will be desensitized. You will not have any feeling in your legs or arms for a while and cannot move them. In some cases, though very rarely, you may get a headache.

There may sometimes, certainly not always, be some after-effects of the anesthesia, such as hematomas (bruising) that may result from intubation of the veins. Reddening of the skin or a rash have been known to result from overreaction to various medications. Vomiting can also occur after the operation and anesthesia.

All of these after-effects can be treated. Intubation may cause hoarseness, but this disappears after 2-3 days without treatment. In very few cases, it may be necessary temporarily to reduce the anesthetic dosage and thereby reduce the depth of narcosis, e.g. bleeding during the operation, or when your safety is otherwise at stake. We will try to make these uncomfortable moments as bearable as possible but your safety always come first. In the case of a caesarian section, the anesthesia is rather light for the first few minutes, because the child should absorb as little anesthetic as possible. During this phase you may (very rarely) feel or hear something.

What we wish from our patients

Before the operation:

You have the opportunity to visit our anesthesia clinic. Here your anesthesia risk profile is determined and your individual anesthesia discussed.

You will be informed if any preliminary examinations should be necessary. These can then be done before you come to the hospital for your operation. You receive a referral to the anesthesia clinic from the specific ward of the department where you will be operated upon The anesthesia clinic is open from Monday – Thursday from 9am to 3pm and on Friday from 9am to 1pm.

Please consider which form of anesthesia you would personally prefer. Under general anesthesia you are unconscious and you sleep during the operation. There are forms of local anesthesia under which arms, legs and your abdomen can be operated upon without feeling any pain. You personally can choose which form you prefer, as long as there are no medical reasons otherwise. You can obtain further information in a discussion with an anesthetist.

A doctor from the department for anesthesia will visit you in the ward a day before your operation after 3pm. Please remain on the ward until the doctor has visited you.

If you want information regarding complications, please check the appropriate box on your consent form or inform your operating department (nursing staff, doctor). An appointment will then be arranged.

You are not allowed to eat or drink within 6 hours before the operation as otherwise there is a risk that you may draw some stomach contents into your lungs, which could subsequently lead to serious pneumonia.

You should do your utmost to avoid smoking during the 12 hours leading up to the operation. Prior smoking falsifies an important measurement that is constantly monitored for your own safety while under anesthesia. Furthermore, smoking inhibits the ability of the lungs to cleanse themselves, which is especially important after an operation.

You must leave false teeth, contact lenses, wigs, hairclips of all kinds, rings, bracelets and watches in the ward. Please also remove any candy or gum early enough from your mouth, as these may prove dangerous at the beginning of the anesthesia.

No make up or nail polish should be worn on the day of the operation.

After the operation:

The time spent in the anesthetic recovery room can vary. Please inform your relatives of this fact. Visitors are not

Above all you should breathe deeply and take every opportunity to cough. By coughing you remove phlegm from air passages, and in this way prevent post-operative pneumonia.

When in bed you should, whenever you think of it, move your arms and legs. You should especially wiggle your feet or make bicycling movements in bed. This way you reduce the danger of embolism.

After complicated and especially long operations, patients are routinely placed in the anesthetic intensive care unit, which can be found on the 1st floor of the surgery wing. If you like, your relatives can visit you here from 2pm to 7pm. Visits should not be too long, as you may overstrain yourself.

With best wishes, your Department for Anesthesia