During your anaesthetic

When you go under anaesthetic there is a 3-stage protocol:

• Induction phase: If it was a procedure using general anaesthetic the anaesthetist would give you the drugs that make you lose consciousness. This can be taken place in the Anaesthetic Induction Room located adjacent to the operating room or the operating room itself. You would then become attached to monitors such as electrocardiograph, a pulse oximeter probe and blood pressure cuff. An intravenous line is also started in a vein on your hand or forearm.

• Middle or maintenance phase: The anaesthetist makes sure you are kept in a safe state of unconsciousness whilst you are being surgically worked on.

• End or emergence phase: The anaesthetist stops giving you the anaesthetic drugs and allows them to wear off, whilst giving you other drugs to reverse their effects so you are able to wake up and regain a state of consciousness.