How Long Does Anesthesia Stay In Your Body?

Anesthesia is given when pain and sensation need to be blocked for medical procedures. The drugs or anesthetics can also make you relaxed, sleepy, or unconscious. Most of the time, anesthetics are administered by an anesthesiologist. The amount and type of drugs that you would receive depend on you general health and what type of medical procedure is being performed.

Age and health affect affect how quickly anesthesia leaves your body. Also, certain medical conditions inhibit the body from flushing the anesthetics from your body. For example, Midazolam is a very long lasting sedative and is commonly used as an anesthetic. After 15 hours, 98 percent of it has left the bloodstream.  

Anesthesiologists

An anesthesiologist administers medicine to a patient before surgery. He cares for the patient before, during, and after the medical procedure. By knowing a patient’s medical history and current medical condition, he can choose the right anesthetics for the surgery. 

He closely monitors vital signs during the procedure so he can adjust the drugs as necessary. He continues to be responsible for the patient in the recovery room. If an general anesthetic has been used, he will give the patient drugs to reverse its effects. He is the one who decides when the patient can leave the recovery room.

Types of Anesthesia

For minor procedures, a local anesthetic is used. You will get an injection at the site. Sometimes you stay awake for the procedure, or medicine may be administered to help you relax or sleep.

Regional anesthetic will block pain to a bigger area of your body. The injection is administered around a major nerve, or group of nerves, or the spinal cord. The two major types of regional anesthesia include:

• Peripheral nerve block - Commonly used for surgery on your extremities or face.

• Epidural - Given near the spinal cord to block pain in a whole region of your body, including abdomen, pelvic area, or legs.

General anesthesia affects your entire body, including your brain. It is administered either intravenously or by breathing it in. Since it affects the brain, you will not know that surgery is being performed and, of course, will feel no pain.