Regional Anesthesia: An Alternative to General

Regional anesthesia is an alternative to general anesthesia.<br />A patient may sometimes choose a particular form of anesthesia, however for certain types of operations medical considerations alone are taken into account.<br /><br />Regional anesthesia is preferable in certain medical situations: respiratory deficiency, for elderly patients, or in cases of full-term pregnancy.<br /><br />There are a variety of regional anaesthesias:<br /><br />Spinal or epidural anesthesia which anesthetises the lower region of the body.<br />Peripheral nerve block anesthesia.<br />A nerve can be blocked at its trunk level, for example to anesthetise an entire leg.<br />A nerve can also be blocked at the level of one of its roots to anesthetise a specific part of the leg.