regional anesthesia 

involves the loss of sensation in a limited area of Local anesthesia involves numbing a very limited, specific area of the body.
the body to prevent pain. It is produced by drugs that interrupt the It is often used in the case of minor surgery or in conjunction with regional
action of nerves that carry the pain sensation. or sedation anesthesia. Local anesthesia does not affect consciousness;
however, local anesthetic medications can be used with either sedation
What are the different types of regional anesthesia? anesthesia or regional anesthesia. 
  • Spinal Anesthesia - Spinal anesthesia involves injecting a local
anesthetic into the fluid    • Surface Anesthesia – Surface anesthesia is when a cream or spray
    surrounding spinal nerves. Once injected, the medicine mixes anesthetic is used
with spinal fluid in the      to numb an area of the skin or mucus membrane. 
    lower back and numbs the nerves it contacts, effectively blocking
sensation and pain.     • Infiltration Anesthesia – Infiltration anesthesia is when an anesthetic
medication
    Spinal anesthesia takes effect rapidly and is safe and effective for      is injected into the soft tissue. 
any surgery occurring
    below the ribcage. It is especially effective for surgery on the What types of procedures typically use local anesthesia? 
lower abdomen and legs. Local anesthesia may be used for a variety of procedures. The most
common are dental procedures, eye surgery and ear, nose and throat
  • Epidural Anesthesia - involves the placement of a catheter operations. 
into  a small space within the vertebral column just before the
spinal fluid. Depending on the Possible Complications
    nerves targeted, the epidural can be placed in various regions of  Pain and tenderness around the injection site
the back from the neck  Bruising, infection, or bleeding of the injection site
    to the tailbone. Epidural medications can be given through this  Headache
catheter to provide  Decrease in blood pressure
    numbness for the surgery, and also can be used to provide pain  Nerve damage
relief  Medicine mistakenly injected into a vein or artery
    in the post-operative period.   Damage to organs
Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:
  • Nerve Blocks – Your anesthesiologist can use a variety of nerve
 Current or past health problems
blocks to ensure
 Taking medicines, supplements, herbal remedies, or blood
    comfort throughout a surgical procedure. Often a group of
thinners
nerves, called a plexus
 Allergies
    or ganglion, that causes pain to a specific organ or body region
 Smoking
can be blocked
 Drinking alcohol
    with local anesthetics. Below are some of the most common
 Using recreational drugs
nerve blocks and what
    body parts they are associated with.  History of adverse reactions to anesthesia
     o Trigeminal nerve blocks (face)   Anesthetic spray is a type of local anesthesia used to numb
     o Ophthalmic nerve block (eyelids and scalp)  specific areas in the bodies, especially some skin tissues.
     o Supraorbital nerve block (forehead)  The effect is usually short since they are only used for
     o Maxillary nerve block (upper jaw)  common activities. One helpful use of anesthetic sprays is
     o Sphenopalatine nerve block (nose and palate)  making hair removal so much easier and less of a pain than
     o Cervical epidural, thoracic epidural, and lumbar epidural block it typically is.
(neck and back)  When an anesthetic spray is used for shaving or hair removal, it is
     o Cervical plexus block and cervical para-vertebral block sprayed to the part of legs, arms or other skin area that needs to be
(shoulder and upper neck)  numbed for a short period of time.
     o Brachial plexus block, elbow block, and wrist block
(shoulder/arm/hand,  Stage I begins with the induction of anesthesia and ends
        elbow, and wrist)  with the patient's loss of consciousness.The patient still
     o Subarachnoid block and celiac plexus block (abdomen and feels pain in Stage I.
pelvis)   Stage II, or REM stage, includes uninhibited and sometimes
dangerous responses to stimuli, including vomiting and
  • Intravenous Regional Anesthesia – Intravenous regional uncontrolled movement. This stage is typically shortened
anesthesia is the process by administering a barbiturate, such as sodium pentothal,
    of placing an IV catheter into a vein in your lower leg or arm so before the anesthetic agent.
that the local anesthetic  Stage III, or surgical anesthesia, is the stage in which the
    can be administered. An important part of intravenous regional patient's pupillary gaze is central and the pupils are
anesthesia is placing constricted. This is the target depth of surgical anesthesia.
    a tourniquet above the area to ensure the medicine stays in the During this stage, the skeletal muscles relax, the patient's
arm or leg that is being breathing becomes regular, and eye movements stop.
    anesthetized. Feeling will return to the area once the tourniquet  Stage IV, or overdose, is marked by hypotension or
is removed.  circulatory failure. Death may result if the patient cannot
be revived quickly.
Local Anesthesia