Anaesthesia and types of anaesthetic.

General anaesthesia, numbing a single region of the body or twilight sleep: which method is right depends on the procedure and on your health. The consultation beforehand covers the process, the risks and fasting.

  • Consultation beforehand
  • General, regional or sedation
  • Recovery room on site

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  • 6 hbefore: no more solid food, as a rule
  • 2 hbefore: water or tea without milk is still fine
  • 5–15minutes to wake up after general anaesthesia
  • 24 hno driving after day-case anaesthesia

Guide values. What applies to you will be explained in your consultation with the anaesthesia team.

Anaesthesia

Switching off pain, watching over the body.

Anaesthesia switches off the sensation of pain for the duration of a procedure – and, with general anaesthesia, consciousness as well. A team made up of an anaesthetist and anaesthesia nurses monitors heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing and oxygen levels throughout. Which method is right depends on the type and length of the procedure, on existing conditions and on your wishes.

With general anaesthesia, you fall asleep through a medicine given into a vein. A breathing tube or a laryngeal mask secures your breathing. The anaesthesia is maintained with an anaesthetic gas or entirely through the vein. After the procedure, the supply is stopped and you wake up in the recovery room, where monitoring continues.

With regional anaesthesia, only part of the body is numbed – for example the lower abdomen and legs via an injection in the lower back, or an arm via its nerves. You stay awake or sleep lightly, and your own breathing is unaffected. For minor procedures, a local anaesthetic at the site of the operation is often enough.

With sedation, often called twilight sleep, a medicine given into a vein has a calming effect. You breathe on your own and afterwards often barely remember the procedure. It is used for examinations such as endoscopies or in addition to regional anaesthesia. Serious complications are rare with all methods; your personal risk depends mainly on existing conditions and the procedure and is discussed in the consultation.

The methods

Which anaesthetic for what?

General anaesthesia

Deep, controlled sleep with secured breathing – usual for procedures in the abdomen or chest and for long operations.

Regional anaesthesia

Numbs only one region of the body, such as the lower abdomen and legs or an arm. You stay awake or doze in a light sleep.

Sedation

Twilight sleep via a vein for examinations and minor procedures. You keep breathing on your own, and your breathing is monitored.

The procedure

From consultation to recovery room.

Every planned procedure is preceded by a consultation with the anaesthesia team. The appointment is usually arranged by the surgical department.

  1. Questionnaire

    A form asks about existing conditions, medication, allergies and previous anaesthetics. Please bring your medication list, medical reports and any anaesthesia or allergy card.

  2. Consultation

    A doctor from the anaesthesia team examines you, explains the possible methods and their risks and answers your questions. You give your consent in writing and receive a copy.

  3. Preparation

    You fast as agreed and take only the medicines you have been cleared to take. Jewellery, piercings and removable dentures are taken off beforehand.

  4. Induction

    In the operating area, monitoring equipment is connected and a cannula is placed in a vein. Then the chosen method begins.

  5. During the procedure

    The anaesthesia team stays with you throughout, controls the depth of anaesthesia and monitors breathing and circulation.

  6. Recovery room

    Monitoring continues until circulation and breathing are stable. Then you go to the ward or, after day surgery, home with someone to accompany you.

Statutory, private, self-pay

Anaesthesia is part of the procedure.

Statutory health insurance

Part of the covered service.

If a procedure or examination is covered by German statutory health insurance, the same applies to the anaesthesia it requires – including the consultation and monitoring afterwards. No separate application is needed.

In Wertheim, patients with statutory health insurance are treated at the Bürgerspital, the hospital with a public healthcare mandate.

Private insurance or self-pay

Planned with the procedure.

Private health insurance and the Beihilfe allowance for civil servants reimburse the anaesthesia according to their tariffs, together with the procedure that requires it.

For self-pay procedures at the Main-Tauber-Klinik, the cost of anaesthesia is included in the quote for the procedure.

Specialists

Your doctors at a glance.

Anaesthesia is provided by specialists in anaesthesiology together with anaesthesia nurses. Listed here is the team of the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, as shown by the clinics on their websites.

  • Mohamed AburawiSpecialist in AnaesthesiologyWertheim
  • Christoph BinasSpecialist in Anaesthesiology, pre-hospital emergency physicianWertheim
  • Rachel DorschSpecialist in Anaesthesiology, pre-hospital emergency physician, physician responsible for transfusionWertheim
  • Maria Eckert-KufnerSpecialist in Anaesthesiology & Intensive Care Medicine, pre-hospital emergency physicianWertheim
  • Claus HahnSpecialist in AnaesthesiologyWertheim
  • Erando JubicaSpecialist in Anaesthesiology, pre-hospital emergency physicianWertheim
  • Mihai NitaSpecialist in AnaesthesiologyWertheim
  • Dr. med. Stephan RappSpecialist in AnaesthesiologyWertheim

Locations

Where treatment takes place.

Each clinic shows on its own website how the treatment works there.

Frequently asked questions

Good to know.

Why do I need to fast before anaesthesia?

Under anaesthesia and sedation, the protective reflexes are weakened. If stomach contents get into the lungs, severe pneumonia can follow. As a rule: solid food up to six hours before, clear drinks up to two hours before. If you have eaten after all, please say so – the procedure will then be postponed if necessary.

Can I keep taking my medication?

Many medicines, yes – including on the morning of the procedure with a sip of water. Some are paused or adjusted, such as blood-thinning medication or medicines for diabetes. Weight-loss injections should also be mentioned in the consultation, because they can slow down stomach emptying. Do not stop anything without checking first.

Can I stay awake instead of having general anaesthesia?

For procedures on the legs, hip, groin or arm, often yes: regional anaesthesia is then possible, with light sedation if you wish. Procedures in the abdomen or chest usually require general anaesthesia. What is possible in your case will be clarified in the consultation.

Can I wake up during the operation?

Unintended awareness during general anaesthesia is rare. The anaesthesia team monitors the depth of anaesthesia continuously and adjusts it. If you are worried about this, mention it in the consultation, along with any previous experiences of anaesthesia.

What are the risks of anaesthesia?

Nausea, a sore throat or hoarseness from the breathing tube, shivering and tiredness are common and usually harmless. Damage to teeth, allergic reactions or problems with breathing and circulation are rare; headaches can occur after spinal anaesthesia, and nerve damage is very rare. How high your risk is depends on existing conditions and the procedure.

When can I go home after anaesthesia?

After inpatient procedures, the ward decides. After day surgery, once you are awake and stable and any discomfort is well controlled – and only with someone to accompany you. For 24 hours: no driving, no operating machinery, no important decisions and, if possible, do not stay on your own.

Is anaesthesia more dangerous in older age?

What matters is less your age than your heart, lungs and other existing conditions. However, older people are more often confused for a few days after anaesthesia. Glasses, hearing aids, familiar faces and getting out of bed early on help them find their bearings again.

When does the consultation take place?

For planned procedures, in good time beforehand, often in a dedicated anaesthesia clinic; the appointment is usually arranged by the surgical department. In an emergency the consultation is shorter, but it still takes place as long as you are responsive.

Consultation

Personal consultation.

Describe your request – the right clinic will get back to you.

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