Delnor - Community Hospital
300 Randall Road
Geneva, IL 60134
(630) 208-3000
(630) 208-4401 fax

Tri-Cities Surgery Center, LLC
Tri-Cities Surgery Center
345 Delnor Drive
Geneva, Illinois 60134
(630) 262-8100

Types of Anesthesia

1. Local Anesthesia
Local Anesthesia is when the physician who is performing the procedure injects a local anesthetic medicine directly into the area of the body where a minor procedure or surgery is being done. The local anesthetic acts directly on the nerve endings to temporarily disable the nerves from transmitting pain impulses. This is commonly known as being “numb”.

Sometimes a mild sedative medication is given to the patient to lessen his or her anxiety. When deeper levels of sedation are required, a trained anesthesia provider who is skilled in airway management will provide the sedation and will make sure that the patient’s airway and breathing are maintained. This is known as “M.A.C.” or Monitored Anesthesia Care.

2. Regional Anesthesia
Regional Anesthesia is when local anesthetics are injected near major nerves to numb a large portion of the body such as a limb. Most commonly this involves injections into the lower back to anesthetize the lower half of the body for operations on the legs or lower abdomen (Spinal or Epidural anesthesia). Sedatives are usually administered in conjunction to lessen patient anxiety. Epidurals are also very commonly used with obstetrical patients to reduce the pain of labor.

3. General Anesthesia
General Anesthesia is when the patient is rendered completely insensible to a surgical stimulus. It is accomplished either by an injection of anesthetic into an I.V. or by inhalation of anesthetic gases, or a combination of both. This is also known as “going to sleep”, even though the physiology is distinct and different from real sleep.