Patient guide to anesthesia
Welcome to the Vancouver online patient guide to anesthesia. We want to ensure you feel supported every step of the way.
How to use this patient guide
This guide is for patients who will be undergoing anesthesia and for their families and caregivers. It is designed to help you understand how to prepare for anesthesia, what to expect on your day of surgery, as well as the important role you play in your recovery. You may also receive additional information on what to expect for your specific procedure or surgery from your health-care team.
- This website resource is intended to be generic and applies to most people undergoing anesthesia. On the day of surgery, the Anesthesiologist will finalize your care plan with you and explain the details that are relevant to you specifically.
- Any quoted information on this website is for the general population. Your personal risk may differ somewhat from the general population, depending on your medical history and what type of surgery you are having. All patients will have the chance to discuss their personal risks and benefits related to having an anesthetic and surgery with their care providers prior to their procedure.
What are anesthetics?
Anesthetics block signals in the nervous system and stop pain messages travelling from the body to the brain. There are three types of anesthesia:
- local and regional anesthesia, which both numb a specific part of the body.
- sedation is a spectrum of anesthesia. On one of the spectrum you may be lightly sedated (aware of the procedure but kept comfortable) and on the other end of the spectrum you could be heavily sedated (unaware of the procedure and safely monitored).
- general anesthesia, which makes you unconscious (completely asleep).
Sometimes patients will get more than one type of anesthesia. The type of anesthetic used will depend on what surgery of procedure is happening as well your age and what medical conditions you have. Your anesthetist will be able to explain and discuss the options with you before surgery.
Before surgery
Preparing for your surgery is one of the most important parts to improving your outcome after surgery. Small steps can lead to decreased complications and faster recovery.
Fasting before surgery
It is important to fast prior to all types of anesthesia. If you are not fasted prior to anesthesia, there is a risk that food and drink in your stomach can go down into your lungs. This can be very dangerous. If you are not fasted before elective surgery, it is not safe to proceed.
These instructions apply to adults having non-emergency surgery. If your surgeon has given you specific fasting instructions that are different to these, please follow them.
Food:
- Have no food after midnight if your are having surgery the following day
- It is safe to eat a regular meal the night prior to anesthesia.
Liquids:
- You will be told when to arrive at the hospital for your procedure. It is safe to drink clear fluid until one hour before your arrival at hospital.
- Clear fluids include water, clear apple or clear cranberry juice (no pulp), black coffee or black tea.
- Tea or coffee must not have any milk in it
- Do not drink alcohol prior to your anaesthetic
Additional resources to optimize your care
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Managing anemia before surgery
Anemia occurs when your red blood cell count (hemoglobin) is low. People with a…
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Reducing or quitting smoking or vaping before surgery
Research shows that people who stop smoking or vaping at least one month before…
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Blood sugar control before surgery
It is important to manage blood sugars before surgery.
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Preparing for surgery if you are frail
Some medical conditions or being elderly can cause you to be frail. It is impor…
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Preparing for surgery if you have chronic pain
If your pain lasts three months or longer and affects your quality of life, you…
What to expect during your anaesthetic
On the day of your surgery you may be receiving one type of anesthetic or a combination depending on what your Anesthesiologist decides is the best for you.
Learn more about what to expect based on the type of anesthesia you'll be receiving.
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Nerve blocks
This website resource describes what you can generally expect during nerve bloc…
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Procedural sedation
This website resource describes what you can generally expect during procedural…
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Epidural anesthesia
This website resource describes what you can generally expect during epidural a…
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Spinal anesthesia
This website resource describes what you can generally expect during spinal ane…
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General anesthesia
This website resource describes what you can generally expect if you are underg…
After surgery
Just like getting ready for surgery, what you do after surgery can also improve your outcome and help you recover more quickly.