Anesthetics, or otherwise anesthetics, are indispensable in medical practice. They have the ability to cause anesthesia, are painkillers. But is their use 100% justified? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these medications? Read about this and more below.
General characteristics
Anesthetics, according to their mechanism of action, are local and intended for anesthesia. Anesthetic preparations are used for artificial anesthesia, that is, they depress sensitivity and pain of a different nature after administration. Pain is an extremely unpleasant sensory and emotional state that occurs when tissue is damaged. Painful sensations cause changes in the human body during and after the operation: metabolism, hemodynamics, and breathing are disturbed. All this can lead to the death of the patient, but anesthesia is used to eliminate such changes.
It is reversibleelimination of pain sensitivity. Anesthesia is synonymous with pain relief and means loss of sensation. Anesthesia causes inhibition of the central nervous system, and local anesthesia eliminates the sensitivity of a certain area on the body.
Features
Local anesthetics penetrate well through mucous membranes, quickly act on nerve fibers, are destroyed and excreted by the kidneys. Local drugs have a resorptive effect, remove sensitivity to pain, affect vascular tone - expand or narrow them. The resobtive effect means that anesthetics are also antispasmodic, antiarrhythmic, analgesic, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory. They all have five main characteristics:
- quickly penetrate the nervous tissue;
- act for a long time;
- strength increases with dosage;
- quick excretion from the body;
- toxicity.
Efficiency
Anesthetics (general characteristics and types of anesthesia are discussed in the article) are not always the drugs that help the patient. Many of them either do not fit or are used incorrectly. Demonstration of the effects of anesthetics and low temperature shows how anesthetics work. It is a well-known fact that narcotic substances and alcohol can disrupt human thermoregulation. The drugs in question work in a similar way.
They develop hypothermia. Experts have learned to use this property of anesthetics for controlled hypothermia during brain and heart surgery. Hypothermia lowers the metabolic rate, which reduces the patient's need for oxygen. The effectiveness of anesthesia depends on several factors, which are the right choice of drug and high-quality pain relief.
When needed and to whom they assign
As a rule, anesthetics are used in medical institutions during surgical intervention with suturing, in dental offices for the treatment and extraction of teeth, for anesthesia, during labor. For example, topical anesthetics are widely used in cosmetics.
- "Novocaine" is quite often used. It has minimal toxicity and works well. It has a positive effect on the metabolism of nerve tissues. Among the shortcomings: it does not last long, it can cause an allergic reaction.
- "Prilocaine". Performs deep local anesthesia, suitable for therapeutic blockades. Virtually no toxicity. Can be used to treat children and pregnant women.
- "Carbocaine". A toxic drug, but quite strong in terms of the degree of impact. Causes adverse reactions. It should be used carefully, respecting the dosage.
- "Lidocaine". The toxicity of the drug is minimal. Vascular and allergic reactions to the drug are practically absent. Main feature - fastvalid.
Types of anesthesia
Anesthetics are different - stronger and less. Anesthesia is a collective concept, that is, the process of suppressing pain in a patient with the help of medications. This procedure is performed by a doctor, the choice of the type of anesthesia depends on many factors: age, he alth status of a person, gender.
- General anesthesia (narcosis). This is a fairly strong type of procedure that is used during operations. Completely disables the patient, he becomes immune to external stimuli. Anesthesia is considered an artificial coma. A combination of anesthetic drugs is used for administration. They immobilize the patient, paralyze the nerve endings, muscles of the body and respiratory.
- Local anesthesia (nerve block). Blocks nerve sensitivity in the area of the body where the operation is performed. In dentistry, local anesthetics are widely used. The patient does not fall into sleep, he sees and is aware of all actions. Local anesthesia is divided into spinal, conduction, epidural, monitoring and application.
With spinal injection, the drug is injected into the subdural space. During conduction, the nerve impulse is blocked. In an epidural, an anesthetic is injected into the epidural space. Monitoring blocks pain, the patient relaxes. Application - a new type of anesthesia, when an ointment or cream is applied to the skin area.
Local anesthetics
Local anesthetics are good because they block the feeling of pain in a certain area. These substances block nerve conduction if injected near a nerve. Topical drugs are divided into alkyd and ether. The first substances include ultracaine, trimecan, lidocaine, metivakan; to the second novocaine, anestezin, dikain.
All local anesthetics include three links. Structurally, they consist of three units: an amino group, an intermediate chain, an aromatic group. These medicinal substances have their own classification:
- means used for surface anesthesia ("Promecaine");
- drugs that are used for infiltration anesthesia (for example, Novocain);
- universal drugs ("Lidocaine").
Local anesthetics are anesthetics that desensitize nerve endings. They slow down the processes of excitation that pass through the nerve fibers. They are able to eliminate completely painful sensations, block the transmission of nerve impulses. In pharmacology, anesthetics are defined as drugs that relieve pain, and this is their main function.
Flaws
Unfortunately, anesthetics are not at all safe drugs. They can cause an allergic reaction, anaphylactic shock. In addition, some of them have a serious list of contraindications and side effects. That is why the dosage should be selectedonly a doctor. For example, local anesthetics have a number of significant drawbacks:
- you can not control the functions of the body during severe traumatic operations;
- lack of muscle relaxation during abdominal surgery;
- full pain relief does not always occur;
- mentally unstable patients retain consciousness.
Pros
Local anesthesia has huge advantages: it is safe, simple technique and cheap. As for the over-the-counter painkillers sold in pharmacies, they also do their job, effectively eliminating pain. After all, it is known that it cannot be tolerated.
Anesthesia is an introduction to artificial sleep, and it is used to perform a surgical intervention to completely immobilize a person, turn off his consciousness. The patient during the operation under anesthesia does not feel anything, that is, he is not able to feel pain. And this is the main plus of general anesthesia.
List
Anesthetics are divided into preparations of general anesthesia and local. The first group includes halogenated hydrocarbons, barbiturates, opioid analgesics, esters, and other drugs for general anesthesia. Among the funds:
- "Aerran".
- "Lunaldin".
- "Recofol".
- "Halothane".
- "Junkie".
- "Sevoran".
- "Diprivan".
- "Calypsol".
- "Fentanyl".
- "Propovan" and more.
The second group includes alkyds, benzoic acid esters, aminobenzoic acid esters, and other local anesthetics. The following drugs are used for local anesthesia:
- "Alfakain".
- "Novocaine Bufus".
- "Anecain".
- "Marcain".
- "Artifrin".
- "Septanest" with adrenaline.
- "Lidocaine" 2% adrenaline.
- "Naropin".
- "Ubestizin".
- "Ultracain".
- "Novocaine".
- "Leocaine" and others.
The classification of anesthetics is discussed above.
Terms of Use
Anesthetics should be administered by a specialist in a medical institution, as these are quite serious medicines. For example, anesthetics for men are needed for general and selective lidocaine tests if there is a problem with early ejaculation. In the first case, the glans penis is treated with lidocaine solution or ointment, then there will be a loss of superficial sensitivity. After anesthesia is washed off and sexual intercourse is performed.
When conducting a lidocaine test, the quality of erection, the duration of sexual intercourse, the preservation of orgasm and ejaculation are evaluated. In the second case, a cotton pad soaked in a solution of lidocaine is applied to the frenulum until sensitivity is lost, the agent is washed off, and then sexual intercourse follows. The test results are interpreted by the doctor.
Anesthetics are also administered intravenously forputting the patient into artificial sleep. Anesthetic agents include some drugs that are commonly available in pharmacies. There are drugs with anesthetics for children, but they are as safe as possible.
Contraindications
Local anesthesia is used for minor surgeries to temporarily relieve pain. This type of anesthesia is used when anesthesia cannot be used. Local anesthesia has absolute and relative contraindications. The first include:
- intolerance to this type of anesthesia;
- an operation that requires controlled breathing;
- shock.
The second one is:
- nervous excitement;
- mental illness;
- diseases of the spine;
- poor he alth, well-being;
- hypertension;
- hypotension;
- cardiac disorders;
- obesity;
- infectious disease;
- childhood;
- if the patient himself refuses pain relief.
Other anesthetics have similar contraindications. When applying this or that type of anesthesia, the patient must take into account his state of he alth, current diseases and well-being.
Reviews
Judging by the reviews of general anesthesia, many are afraid of it. According to patients, it has both significant advantages and significant disadvantages. To the benefitsrefer to:
- painless surgery, which is possible after the introduction of the patient into a state of artificial sleep;
- complete disconnection from reality;
- deep sleep;
- lack of sensitivity;
- pain relief 100%;
- with timely treatment, the risk is minimal.
However, anesthesia has many disadvantages. Many patients claim that sometimes it is a risk to he alth and even life. Disadvantages include:
- getting out of anesthesia is difficult;
- feeling bad after;
- there are side effects;
- not everyone tolerates well;
- poor quality anesthesia;
- possible complications;
- defenselessness and lack of control;
- loss of body control;
- allergic reaction;
- hard to breathe;
- hair loss.
As for anesthetic drugs, they also have side effects and contraindications. It is unacceptable to prescribe them to yourself on your own, only after agreement with your doctor. According to patients, they really anesthetize well, that is, they cope with their main task.
