Anaesthesia

How it is used

General anaesthesia (GA) puts the animal fully under; local anaesthesia numbs one area. Vets say the animal is under anaesthesia or under a general, and the drug is an anaesthetic. US spelling: anesthesia.

Example sentences

1. He'll need to go under general anaesthesia so we can X-ray his hips properly.

2. Older patients have a blood test before anaesthesia to check their kidneys and liver.

3. The nurse monitors heart rate and breathing throughout anaesthesia.

Common collocations

• general anaesthesia
• local anaesthesia
• under anaesthesia
• induce anaesthesia
• recover from anaesthesia

Related terms

• sedationDrugs given to make an animal calm, relaxed and sleepy while it still breathes on its own and can be woken. It is lighter than general anaesthesia.
• premedicationDrugs given before a general anaesthetic to calm the animal, reduce pain and lower the amount of anaesthetic needed. Usually shortened to premed.
• intubateTo pass a tube through the mouth into an animal's windpipe (trachea) to keep the airway open and deliver oxygen and anaesthetic gas.
• come roundTo wake up and become conscious again after an anaesthetic or after fainting. American English prefers come around or wake up.
• fastingWithholding food from an animal for a set time, for example before anaesthesia, so that the stomach is empty and the risk of vomiting and inhaling food is lower.

More terms: Surgery and Anaesthesia

• neuter
• spay
• suture
• wound
• castration
• Elizabethan collar
• incision