Anaesthesia is the controlled, reversible suppression of sensation, and often consciousness, induced to allow surgical and other medical procedures to be carried out without pain and with appropriate stability of the patient. It is broadly divided into general anaesthesia, which produces a reversible loss of conscio…
Anaesthesia is the controlled, reversible suppression of sensation, and often consciousness, induced to allow surgical and other medical procedures to be carried out without pain and with appropriate stability of the patient. It is broadly divided into general anaesthesia, which produces a reversible loss of consciousness affecting the whole body; regional anaesthesia, including spinal and epidural techniques, which blocks sensation over a region by acting on nerves or the spinal cord; and local anaesthesia, which numbs a small, defined area. These states are achieved with a range of agents, including inhalational and intravenous drugs and local anaesthetics, whose actions on neuronal excitability and ion channels underpin their effects and whose safety and potential toxicity are subjects of ongoing study. The conduct of anaesthesia involves not only the abolition of pain but also the management of airway, breathing, circulation, and the patient's overall physiological state before, during, and after a procedure, together with the recognition and prevention of complications and adverse events. Pain management extends to chronic and procedural settings and to interventional techniques. Research relevant to this topic examines novel and conventional anaesthetic agents and their mechanisms and safety, regional and local anaesthetic techniques, perioperative outcomes and adverse events, and the broader management of pain and patient stability during surgical and clinical interventions.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 16 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Anesthesia, linking to each citing work.