Epidurar: what is it?

Modern medicine strives for humanity: all manipulations are eased and anesthetized as much as possible, treatment is conducted in the most comfortable conditions. Currently, both local anesthesia and general anesthesia are used. Local anesthesia anesthetizes a particular area, and general anesthesia completely turns off consciousness. There are strict indications for the use of both anesthesia. There are operations in which general anesthesia is mandatory, while others are conducted primarily under local anesthesia. The one and the other method has its advantages and disadvantages.

General anesthesia negatively affects the nervous system, but gives a full anesthesia. Local anesthesia does not always completely disable all sensations, but it does not affect the brain at all.

Epidurals: what is it and how scary is it?

There is a method of anesthesia, which completely disables the work of all nerve fibers and at the same time allows a person to remain conscious. This is epidural anesthesia, or the so-called epidural. What it is?

Any anesthesia puts an "obstacle" to the pain impulse from the receptor to the brain. Local anesthesia interrupts the procedure at the beginning, and general anesthesia blocks the perception of the pulse by the centers of the brain. But the drug for anesthesia can enter into the spinal canal and "freeze" the conductive nerve fibers - this is the epidural. What is it from a practical point of view?

The patient under epidural anesthesia is in clear consciousness. He understands and understands everything that surrounds him, but does not feel the limbs and trunk, which are below the level of administration of the drug. Most often, the epidural is used during childbirth. Sometimes with her help, a caesarean section is done : mother's desire to see the first minutes of her child is so strong that she agrees to a hollow operation under epidural anesthesia. There is another important aspect that is taken into account in childbirth: with this type of anesthesia, the narcotic substance does not enter the blood, and therefore into the milk, so immediately after the birth of the baby, it can be applied to the chest.

Anesthesia is performed by an anesthesiologist-resuscitator. The medicine is injected into the cerebrospinal canal below the end of the spinal cord itself. Nervous holding is blocked, the patient does not feel pain, can not move his foot, does not control the anal opening or bladder. By the way, in some cases and with natural childbirth, the epidural is used. What is this method? The fact that the cervix also relaxes under the influence of this anesthesia, so when there is discoordination in the uterus, the use of epidural anesthesia can avoid caesarean section.

What are the consequences?

The effects of epidural are met, but rarely. Of course, like any invasive intervention, epidural anesthesia can have negative consequences. The first of these is a headache shortly after the injection. When injected, the needle damages the dura mater, so the back pain may appear in the course of time - these are the most likely and frequent adverse effects of epidural anesthesia.