FAQs
What is anaesthesia?
Anaesthesia stops you feeling pain and unpleasant sensations. It can be given in various ways and does not always need to make you unconscious
Why is pre-anaesthetic check (PAC) required? Do you give the patient a trial of anesthesia during PAC?
Anesthesia can thus be a complex combination of many medical activities being done at the same time. It is very important to know before hand, the patient’s general medical condition before an operation is done. It is important to know the risks to the patients’ health (& life) that can threaten him during and after the operation. This knowledge's are acquired by anesthesiologist by doing examination & testing of the patient, before he is actually anesthetized. PAC is a detailed medical, surgical, laboratory & radiological evaluation of patient’s condition. No trial of anesthesia is given during the PAC.
Do I have to come with an empty stomach for PAC check, what I need to bring to facilitate PAC?
There is no need to come fasting for PAC. You must take morning dose of all prescribed medications.
What do you do to give anesthesia ?
Depending upon the needs of operation to be done, general (full) or regional (in the area to be operated) anesthesia can be given.
What do I need to know about general anesthesia?
General anesthesia usually acts on the brain leading to overall relaxation of the body. Anesthetic drugs will either be given through an intravenous line which will be put just before you’re taken for surgery or through inhalation i.e by breathing in the anesthetic gases.
Would I feel any pain during surgery with General anesthesia?
No, you will not feel any pain during the entire surgery.
Why is there a risk even in otherwise healthy people?
The drugs used in anaesthesia potentially do have some side effects. Moreover, the human body reacts differently to different drugs and procedures in spite of using them in optimal doses. Hence, there is an inherent risk associated with anaesthesia.
What is the intensive care unit?
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a special part of the hospital that provides care to patients with severe, life-threatening injuries or illnesses. ICUs have higher nurse-to-patient ratios than other parts of the hospital. They also can provide specialized treatments, such as life support.
It is a special area of the hospital where the focus is on intense observation and treatment with increased staff and resources. This helps respond immediately to emergency conditions. The trained nurses and doctors with the help of a multidisciplinary team ensure that the critical patient rapidly recovers and goes home to their family.
What kinds of illness require critical care?
Any illness that threatens life requires critical care. Poisoning, surgical problems, and premature birth are a few causes of critical illness. Critical illness includes:
  • Illness that affects the heart and all of the vessels that carries blood to the body, such as:
    • Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
    • Shock
    • Arrhythmia
    • Congestive heart failure
  • Illness that affects the lungs and the muscles used for breathing, such as:
    • Respiratory failure
    • Pneumonia
    • Pulmonary embolus
  • Illness that affects the kidneys, such as:
    • Kidney failure
  • Illness that affects the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and other parts of the body that carry food, such as:
    • Bleeding
    • Malnutrition
  • Illness that affects the brain and the spinal cord and nerves that connect the brain to the arms, legs, and other organs, such as:
    • Stroke
    • Encephalopathy
  • Infection caused by a virus, bacteria, or fungus, such as:
    • Sepsis
    • Ventilator-associated pneumonia
    • Catheter-related infection
    • Drug-resistant infection
  • A serious injury also requires critical care, whether the result of:
    • A car crash
    • A gunshot or stabbing wound
    • A fall
    • Burns
What sort of medical care happens in the ICU?
Patients in the ICU are very sick. They are often connected to many monitors that allow healthcare professionals to monitor their vital signs on a minute-to-minute basis. Patients often have intravenous tubes (IVs) in their arms and neck so that medications and fluids can be delivered directly into their veins. They often have a tube placed into the body to drain and collect urine. Some patients are also connected to life support machines, such as breathing machines or dialysis machines. Patients may also have a tube through their nose or mouth to deliver liquid food directly into the stomach. In order to tolerate the tubes, IVs, and life support, many patients receive sedating medications.
Who needs to be treated in an ICU ?
Any patient who needs close monitoring and treatment needs to be admitted to an intensive care unit. Anyone with breathing difficulty requiring the use of special machines called ventilators , patients with low blood pressure needing medicine to treat it, infections causing septic shock as well as patients who need close observation after certain surgeries like heart bypass, trauma surgery and brain surgery are some examples.
What is life support?
Life support refers to various therapies that help keep patients alive when vital organs are failing.
Most often, when people say “life support,” they are referring to a mechanical ventilator, which is also known as a “breathing machine.” Mechanical ventilation helps patients breathe by pushing air into their lungs. The mechanical ventilator is connected to the patient by a tube that goes through the mouth and into the windpipe. Patients who need less lung support than mechanical ventilation may simply have a mask over their mouths and nose to deliver oxygen.
Dialysis is another form of life support; it filters toxins from the blood when kidneys are failing.