Regional Anesthesiology – Kentucky

Needing surgery can make you feel uneasy. With regional anesthesia, you dont see or feel the actual surgery take place.Regional anesthesiology is the use of local anesthetics to block sensations of pain from a large area of the body, such as an arm or leg or the abdomen.   Regional anesthesia allows a procedure to be done on a region of the body without the patient being unconscious.

Kentucky Anesthesia Group understands needing surgery or a medical procedure can make you feel uneasy.  The benefits of regional anesthesia are numerous and go beyond the avoidance of risks associated with general anesthesia.  Primarily, the best benefit is the elimination of pain during and after the surgery.

Regional anesthesia is a targeted type of anesthesia.  When you receive a regional anesthetic, the anesthesiologist or CRNA will numb the area first with a local anesthetic. Our anesthesiologists often combine regional anesthesia with intravenous sedation, which can allow you to sleep during surgery.  Similar to general anesthesia, you don’t have to be awake during surgery.

With regional anesthesiology, you do not see or feel the actual surgery take place.  After reviewing your individual situation, your Kentucky Anesthesia Group anesthesiologist will discuss the appropriate amount of sedation for you.  Sedation analgesia allows patients to be more comfortable during certain surgical procedures.

During minimal sedation, you will feel relaxed, and you may be awake.  You can understand and answer questions and you will be able to follow your physician’s instructions.  When receiving moderate sedation, you will feel drowsy and may even sleep through most of the procedure.  Afterwards, you may or may not remember being in the operating room.  During deep sedation, your breathing can slow and you might keep sleeping until the medications wear off.

While receiving sedation during surgery, your vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen level, will be watched closely in order to avoid sudden changes or complications.  You may also receive supplemental oxygen during surgery.  Kentucky Anesthesia Group has systems in place to prevent and treat complications quickly if they occur.

Most regional anesthesia patients are orthopedic patients.  However, regional anesthesia can be provided for cardiothoracic, pancreatic-biliary, vascular, urology and other disciplines of surgery as appropriate.

There are three types of regional anesthesia:

  • Neuraxial | includes epidurals and spinal blocks
  • Perineural | catheter placed around a nerve or group of nerves  
  • Paravertebral | includes cervical, thoracic and lumbar

Regional anesthesia offers superior analgesia over opioid-based analgesia and a significant reduction in post-operative pain.  Patient benefits of regional anesthesia include:

  • Less nausea
  • Recover more quickly
  • Better pain control
  • Earlier recovery of bowel function
  • Less narcotics
  • Easier participation in physical therapy

Our anesthesiologists at Kentucky Anesthesia Group can also provide regional anesthesia to relieve pain in the recovery room after surgery.  Types of regional anesthesia procedures include peripheral nerve blocks.  Depending on the type of local anesthetic used, a nerve block can last from a few hours up to 36 hours.

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.