Surgical anesthesia makes many medical procedures possible — without anesthesia, many procedures would be too complicated or painful to perform on conscious patients. But for a long time, medical personnel didn’t have access to any sort of anesthesia.
Before the 1840s, surgery was only attempted when it was absolutely necessary. Operations were mostly limited to amputations and removal of external growths. Most patients remained conscious and in pain during the procedure, though alcohol or drugs were sometimes used to help relieve discomfort. Can you imagine undergoing surgery wide awake with NO painkillers? I can’t.
In 1846, a dentist demonstrated the use of ether to put patients to sleep for surgery. The practice spread quickly! However, ether was dangerous for both doctor and patient. The fumes are highly flammable — a single spark could cause an explosion. For the patient, it was hard to control how much ether was being inhaled. Too much meant the patient might never wake up; too little meant the patient might wake up during the procedure.
Eventually, less-flammable gases were introduced. This made operating rooms much safer! Intravenous anesthesia came next, and made it easier for medical professionals to control the dose given to the patient.
General anesthesia today is a relatively safe procedure. Scientists have developed agents that can provide each of the elements of anesthesia — sedation, unconsciousness, immobility, pain relief, and amnesia — separately. This means that anesthesiologists can tailor the treatment for each individual procedure and each individual patient. These advances are why we may undergo “twilight sedation” for one procedure, “local anesthetic” for another, and a full general anesthesia for another.
Modern anesthetics act quickly and disappear rapidly from the system — this allows many patients to go home sooner after surgery. Side effects are less common and less serious than they were in the past. Anesthesiologists are trained to deal with emergency situations and monitor patient vitals throughout surgery.
What will the future hold for anesthesia? Researchers are working on unlocking the molecular mechanics behind anesthetics — this will allow the creation of targeted, safer, more effective anesthetics. This research will also help anesthesiologists respond to or prevent emergency situations during and after surgery.