ANESTHESIA
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Anesthesia allows you to undergo a surgical procedure without experiencing pain. It is for your comfort and safety. When done right, anesthesia is safe and effective.
Remember that the above classification is for convenience only. Anesthesia is not a single entity or a single drug; there are, in fact, many different medications utilized in anesthesia. There are numerous methodologies of introducing the anesthetic drugs into the body: local injections, intravenous injection, gas mask, epidurals, etc. There are other medications in anesthesia that are used to achieve specific goals, such as those blocking the contraction of muscles, resulting in complete muscle relaxation.
Local anesthesia generally involves the injection of local anesthetic drug with a needle. Local anesthetics work by blocking nerve impulses in specific, usually small, body areas. Dr. Chugay uses local anesthesia in conjunction with sedation to improve anesthetic effect and make you comfortable.
Regional anesthesia usually refers to the use of local anesthetic drugs to block an area of the body. It does so by blocking a set of nerves that are responsible for the sensation of that area, whether it is the arm, leg, etc. There are many different methods used depending on which area of the body needs to be affected. However, for plastic surgery purposes, especially when body surgery is involved, local block may be ineffective and even dangerous as it often utilizes spinal injections. With a spinal injection, there is, unfortunately, a noteworthy risk of spinal injury. The end in this case does not justify the means.
Sedation can be accomplished with a variety of medications. Most of the time, these medications are given through an intravenous line directly into the bloodstream of the patient. Some of these medications can also be used to give general anesthesia when they are given at higher doses. Thus, mechanisms of drugs used in sedation are similar to the drugs used in general anesthesia, however, sedation is usually much safer when done right as it involves smaller quantities of drugs.
As a rule, general anesthetics work at the level of the spinal cord (resulting in relaxation of the muscles) and at different areas of the brain. These anesthetic drugs can be given to the patient either as an inhaled gas or injected through an IV into the patient's bloodstream.
When medications reach the bloodstream to be carried to the brain, they are also carried to other organs (for example, the heart) and have effects at these other organs as well. As a result of these medications, you might stop breathing on your own, and therefore you might have breaths given to you through a mask or a small tube gently inserted into your lungs through your mouth. Therefore, part of general anesthesia is the careful monitoring of the patient in order to monitor and control these other effects.
For a vast majority of procedures Dr. Chugay utilizes heavy (general) sedation combined with local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia. Furthermore, Dr. Chugay's sedation is GENERAL, which means that you will be asleep during surgery. There are many advantages to NOT USING General Anesthesia.
Dr. Chugay's General Sedation (as compared to General Anesthesia):
Old-school surgeons still utilize general anesthesia in cases when heavy sedation may be quite sufficient. After all, with General Anesthesia the patient is completely paralyzed and is easier to work on. However, the surgeon's ease does not directly translate into the patient's advantage.
Another reason why so many surgeons choose general anesthesia over heavy sedation is lack of experience. It takes more experience to administer heavy sedation. Unfortunately, many anesthesiologists and nurses anesthetists do not know how to handle it properly. Many anesthesiologists have little practical experience with sedation.
In most practical cases, sedation is incomplete. If you carefully read materials available on the net, you will learn that when word "SEDATION" used, the patient is usually not completely asleep - the patient is merely relaxed. It takes a lot of skill to make certain that patients are comfortably asleep and do not wake up during surgery. Of course, Dr. Chugay is not the only surgeon who uses sedation to make patient completely asleep. However, you will find this approach uncommon.
Dr. Bennett. He has served as the Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology of Chapman Medical Center for many years. Through his experience, he has helped Dr. Chugay develop reliable and safe GENERAL SEDATION methodology, as well as train Dr. Chugay's nurse anesthetist.
Tummy Tuck and Major Breast Reduction are the only procedures that Dr. Chugay performs with General Anesthesia. Although General Sedation is best for most surgeries, Tummy Tuck and Major Breast Reduction require that the patient remain completely still during the surgery, which is only possible with General Anesthesia. General Anesthesia is more risky than General Sedation; however, Dr. Chugay's Chief Anesthesiologist, Dr. Bennett with his remarkable skill and over 20 years of experience will ensure the best available care. READ MORE ABOUT DR. BENNETT.
Anesthesia care in an accredited or licensed facility has reached a level of sophistication that is absolutely comparable to the care received in a hospital. Dr. Chugay's facility is FULLY CERTIFIED BY AAAHC. Dr. Chugay uses state-of-the-art equipment. Dr. Chugay's Chief Anesthesiologist is Dr. Bennett, a very experienced and skilled physician.
Any time that a person is given medications, required procedures, etc. there is a certain amount of risk. This is no different with anesthesia. Luckily, the serious complications are quite rare (things like allergic reactions, genetic conditions that are not known, etc.), and the common complications are not dangerous (things like nausea, itching, etc.). The risk of complications if further reduced by using GENERAL SEDATION and Dr. Bennett's skilled assistance.
It is not impossible - perhaps, everyone has heard the news reports of patients that had this problem. It is, however, extremely unlikely. If you are especially concerned about this issue, you should definitely discuss it with Dr. Chugay or Dr. Bennett. They can assure you by explaining the medications and techniques that they are using to prevent this problem.
You should know that you will be closely monitored during the surgery - things like your blood pressure, heart rate, heart activity, breathing, oxygen in your blood, body temperature, etc. will all be closely watched.