Anaesthesia : a very short introduction

Suspended animation: concepts of anaesthesia -- Historical perspective -- Nuts and bolts -- Bells and whistles -- Anaesthetic drugs and fluids -- Local and regional anaesthesia -- The different branches of anaesthesia -- Side effects, complications and risks of anaesthesia -- Anaesthesia tomorrow.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-140) and index.

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.