Tag: Anesthetic drugs

Nearly 40 million anesthetics are administered annually in the United States [1.9.2]. A common question patients have is, 'how many hours does anesthesia stay in your system?' The answer depends on the type of anesthesia, the drugs used, and individual patient factors [1.2.2].

According to a 2015 report, up to 40% of children and around 3% of adults may cry after anaesthesia, a phenomenon that can be startling for family but is often a benign side effect. This seemingly paradoxical reaction is influenced by a complex interplay of pharmacological effects on the brain, psychological distress, and the physiological stress of surgery.

The risk of dying from general anesthesia is incredibly low, estimated to be about 1 in 100,000 to 200,000 cases for healthy patients [1.9.1, 1.9.5]. But **what do anesthesiologists use to put you to sleep** so safely? The answer is a sophisticated combination of drugs tailored to each individual.

Over a century after its widespread use began, scientists are still working to fully understand how anesthesia works on the brain. In medical terms, the state where they knock you out for surgery is most accurately called **general anesthesia**, a carefully managed, temporary loss of sensation and awareness.