Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

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What do anaesthetists do? How does anaesthesia work? What are the risks? And how does the anaesthetist know if you are really asleep? Anaesthesia is a mysterious and sometimes threatening process. In this Very Short Introduction, Aidan O'Donnell takes the reader on a tour through the whole of the modern anaesthetic practice. He begins by explaining general anaesthesia: what it is, how it is produced, and how it differs from natural sleep and other forms of unconsciousness. He goes on to consider the main categories of anaesthetic drugs, including anaesthetic vapours, intravenous agents, muscle relaxants, and analgesics, together with explanations of how they work and what their purpose is. Set against the historical background of anaesthetic and surgical practice, O'Donnell examines the large role anaesthetists play in specialised areas such as intensive care medicine, pain medicine, and childbirth; and finally, he considers the risks of anaesthesia, putting in to context that anaesthesia is a very safe process. Explains the facts about a process that is often considered mysterious and threatening Covers the whole spectrum of modern anaesthetic practice, from general and local anaesthesia, anaesthesia for childbirth and intensive care to anaesthetic equipment and agents Provides a detailed yet honest breakdown of all kinds of anaesthetic risk, from side effects to complications, demonstrating that the risks are nowhere near as high as most of us believe Answers all of the pressing questions you might have about anaesthesia - what is it? how does it work? what are the risks? Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions - over five million copies sold worldwide

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1: Suspended animation: concepts of anaesthesia 2: Historical perspective 3: Nuts and bolts 4: Bells and whistles 5: Anaesthetic drugs and fluids 6: Local and regional anaesthesia 7: Subspecialties of anaesthesia 8: Side effects, complications and risks of anaesthesia 9: Anaesthesia tomorrow