Inhalational Anaesthetic

The anaesthetic is maintained with anaesthetic gases, such as Sevoflurane, Desflurane, Isoflurane, Nitrous oxide which are administered with oxygen and air.

The anaesthetic gases are administered through an airway (laryngeal mask, endotracheal tube) into the lungs where they are taken up into the blood stream, trasnported into the brain to keep the patient asleep.

The patient is either ventilated or breathing spontaneously on a ventilator.

Intravenous Anaesthetic

The patient will be kept asleep by the continuous infusion of anaesthetic medication into the vein.

Commonly used medications are Propofol, Remifentanil, Alfentanil and Ketamine.

Sedation

Some procedures / operations can be carried out under sedation only or under regional anaesthesia (spinal, epidural anaesthetic, nerve blocks) in combination with sedation. The patient often does not remember anything. Some patients even think that they had a general anaesthetic,

Commonly used sedating medication are Midazolam, Diazepam, Propofol and Ketamine.