What type of anaesthetic should I have for my hand surgery?

Anaesthesia was a major advancement for surgery as it conquered the fear of pain during procedures. General anaesthesia was first used successfully in 1846 and has come a long way since. It is a safe and reliable option for many operations.

However, there are multiple different options for anaesthesia during surgery including local anaesthesia, regional blocks and conscious sedation. Currently there is even a push in some centres for WALANT or Wide Awake Local Anaesthesia with No Tourniquet for hand and wrist surgery. So with all these options, which one is best for you?

Unfortunately there is no short answer to this question. I always defer to the judgement of my Anaesthetist, who is trained to assess and determine what is safest for each patient. Sometimes this is not an easy decision and may go against a patient’s pre-conceived ideas.

An anaesthetic for surgery has three main components:

1. Anaesthesia – which is the lack of sensation (or immobilisation) to the operating field or limb during the procedure

2. Amnesia – or lack of memory of the event

3. Analgesia – removal of pain during the procedure.

All three are important in their own way, but it is the control of pain which seems to have the most effect on a patient after the operation. Pain control starts even prior to surgery, where if the perception of pain is heightened pre-op, then there is a higher chance of increased pain after surgery. Therefore it is important to control pain well during the operation and immediately after surgery. This can be effectively achieved with local anaesthetics during surgery.

For more information on types of anaesthetic, please click on the link for a downloadable PDF from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH).

For patients due to have surgery with Dr. Sungaran, please contact our Office directly on (02) 95252055 for further information about your Anaesthetist.