Regional Anesthesia – Kentucky

Regional anesthesia is a targeted type of anesthesia.  When you receive a regional anesthetic, your Kentucky Anesthesia Group anesthesiologist or CRNA will numb the area first with a local anesthetic. Regional anesthesia blocks sensations of pain from a large area of the body, such as an arm or leg or the abdomen.  Regional anesthesia can be used instead of general anesthesia or in addition to general anesthesia as a way to control pain after surgery.

Kentucky Anesthesia Group anesthesiologists often combine regional anesthesia with intravenous sedation, which can allow you to sleep during surgery.  Regional anesthesia provides post-operative pain relief that can last up to 8-12 hours, depending on the medication type and dose.  This can decrease the amount of pain medication a patient requires after surgery.

Kentucky Anesthesia Group team members may use one of the following types of regional anesthesia to help keep you safe and comfortable during and after surgery:

• Peripheral nerve block | Your anesthesiologist will use a small needle to give you a single injection of medicine near a group of nerves.  Depending on the medication, you may experience 12 to 24 hours of pain relief.
• Epidural | Similar to a peripheral nerve block, an epidural requires your anesthesiologist to place a thin tube, called a catheter, in your back.  The tube remains there throughout the procedure so your care team can deliver medicine as you need it.  You will start to feel numb within 10 to 20 minutes and will experience no pain throughout the entire surgery.  Following surgery, you’ll continue to receive pain relief medication through the catheter.
• Spinal block | Your anesthesiologist of certified registered nurse anesthetist will use a small needle to give you a single injection of medicine.  You will feel immediate relief that lasts 2 to 4 hours, depending on the medication used.
• Sedation | With moderate sedation, the patient may doze off but awakens easily. Deep sedation is nearly the same as general anesthesia, meaning that the patient is deeply asleep though able to breathe without assistance. Deep sedation with a medication called propofol is often used for procedures such as upper endoscopy or colonoscopy.

Epidurals and spinal blocks require neuraxial anesthesia, which is used in a variety of clinical situations, including surgical, obstetric, and procedural.  Kentucky Anesthesia Group believes that patients should have the best care before, during and after surgery.

The site of injection of the anesthetic has a significant impact on its effect.  Careful technique is needed to reduce the risk of rare complication, such as infection or nerve damage.  The site of the injection also strongly affects how quickly the anesthetic is absorbed into the rest of the body.

Patients who receive regional anesthesia have less nausea, recover more quickly immediately after surgery and sleep better overnight compared to patients who do not have regional anesthesia.  With regional anesthesia, you don’t have to be awake during surgery.

Our anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists (CRNA) at Kentucky Anesthesia Group are committed to putting every patient at ease before, during and after every procedure.   For more information, contact our office at (859) 268-1030.