Undergoing a procedure, which requires a cut necessitates ‘anaesthesia’ however small or big the procedure is. The pain and stress response due to the cut can impact the recovery after the surgery or medical procedure. Therefore, the goal of anaesthesia is to keep the patient safe and comfortable during the procedure or surgery.

Anaesthesia is defined as temporary loss of any bodily sensation and pain. It can involve a simple local anaesthetic injection, which numbs a particular area or drugs that can cause unconsciousness, also known as general anaesthesia. The expert doctor trained in this area is called an anaesthesiologist, who is responsible for the comfort, safety and overall condition before, during and after the surgery or procedure.

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While the role of oncologists and oncosurgeons is fairly understood, many may not know how anaesthesia or an anaesthesiologist plays a significant role in the perioperative management of cancer patients to facilitate the overall outcome of cancer prognosis besides pre-operative care, multidisciplinary cancer care, post-operative pain management and early return to the intended oncological therapy (RIOT).

Anaesthetics are either given as an injection, intravenously, inhaled gas, topical spray, patch or even as a liquid.

Types of Anaesthesia

1. Local Anaesthesia:

This type of anaesthesia is recommended for numbing a particular region of the body, like a biopsy. The patient stays awake and is aware of everything going around.

2. Regional Anaesthesia:

Regional anaesthesia blocks pain in larger parts of the body like arms, legs or everything below the waist. Though the patient is awake during the procedure, cannot move or feel anything in the numbed region, till the effect of anaesthesia wears off.

3. General Anaesthesia:

Highly recommended and preferred during major surgeries, general anaesthesia blocks painful sensation, awareness across the body. The patient remains unconscious throughout the procedure and would gain back senses as the impact of anaesthetics slowly wears out.

Anaesthesiology Unit at HCG

HCG has a team of expert anaesthesiologists, who are trained exclusively in the field of onco anaesthesia and in handling complex, high-risk surgeries performed on cancer patients. These expert doctors are adept in managing cancer patients from preoperative care, intraoperative management to post-operative critical care and pain management. This is achieved by implementing ‘Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)’ and precision onco anaesthesia specific to cancer, which in turn reduces the hospital stay and supports early return to work.