Cutting Needles

Cutting needles are designed to cut through thick or dense tissues. This type of surgical
needle is commonly used for sutures.
Taper-Point Needles
Taper-point needles, often called round needles, are designed to penetrate and pass
through tissues by stretching the tissue without cutting it.
Beveled, Conventional Cutting -Edge Needles
Beveled, conventional cutting -edge needles are bend -resistant needles made from
stainless steel that was heat -treated after being curved. These surgi cal needles are typically
used to close lacerations.
Blunt-Point Needles
Blunt-point needles dissect tissue rather than cut it. These surgical needles have rounded
points to reduce the risk of needlestick injuries.
Intestinal Needles

Intestinal needl es are specifically designed to use in areas with a risk of leakage, such as the
gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the urogenital tract and the biliary tract (for the conveyance of bile).
The needle makes a hole that is immediately filled with the suture materi al.



, or  

 (see spelling differences ; from Greek ĮȞ-, ÷
, "without";

and Į ıșȘıȚȢ, ÷, "sensation"), traditionally meant the condition of
having sensation (including the feeling of pain) blocked or temporarily taken away. It is
a pharmacologically induced and revers ible state of amnesia, analgesia, loss of
responsiveness, loss of skeletal muscle reflexes or decreased stress response, or all
simultaneously. This allows patients to undergo surgery and other procedures without the
distress and pain they would otherwise experience. An alternative definition is a "reversible
lack of awareness," including a total lack of awareness (e.g. a general anesthetic ) or a lack
of awareness of a part of the body such as a spinal anesthetic. The word ÷ ÷ was
coined by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. in 1846. [1]

Types of anesthesia include local anesthesia, regional anesthesia , general anesthesia ,

and dissociative anesthesia. Local anesthesia inhibits sensory perception within a specific
location on the body, such as a tooth or the urinary bladder. Regional anesthesia renders a
larger area of the body insensate by blocking transmission of nerve impulses between a part
of the body and the spinal cord. Two frequently used types of regional anesthesia are spinal
anesthesia and epidural anesthesia . General anesthesia refers to inhibition of sensory,
motor and sympathetic nerve transmission at the level of the brain, resulting
in unconsciousness and lack of sensation.[2] Dissociative anesthesia uses agents that inhibit
transmission of nerve impulses between higher centers of the brain (such as the cerebral
cortex) and the lower centers, such as those found within the limbic system.

c
 


 is any technique to render part of the body insensitive to pain without
affecting consciousness. It allows patients to undergo surgical and dental procedures with
reduced pain and distress. In many situations, such as cesarean section, it is safer and
therefore superior to general anesthesia . It is also used for relief of non -surgical pain and to
enable diagnosis of the cause of some chronic pain conditions. Anesthetists sometimes
combine both general and local anesthesia techniques.

The following terms are often used interchangeably:

A  
÷ ÷ ÷ , in a strict sense, is anesthesia of a small part of the body such as a
tooth or an area of skin.
A ·
 ÷ ÷ ÷ is aimed at anesthetizing a larger part of the body such as a leg or
arm.
A  
 ÷ ÷ is a comprehensive term which encompasses a great variety of
local and regional anesthetic techniques.

Local anesthetic can block almost every nerve bet ween the peripheral nerve endings and
the central nervous system. The most peripheral technique is  
÷ ÷ ÷ to the skin
or other body surface. Small and large peripheral nerves can be anesthetized individually
(peripheral nerve block) or in anato mic nerve bundles (plexus anesthesia). Spinal anesthesia
and epidural anestem merges into the central nervous system.

Injection of local anesthetics is often painful. A number of methods can be used to decrease
this pain including buffering of the solution with bicarb and warming. [1]

Clinical techniques include:

A ÿ ÷
 ÷ ÷ - application of local anesthetic spray, solution or cream to the skin
or a mucous membrane. The effec t is short lasting and is limited to the area of contact.
A r  ÷ ÷ ÷ - injection of local anesthetic into the tissue to be anesthetized.
Surface and infiltration anesthesia are collectively  
÷ ÷ ÷ .
A o 
 - subcutaneous injection of a local anesthetic in an area bordering on the field
to be anesthetized.
A —  ÷   
 - injection of local anesthetic in the vicinity of a periph eral nerve to
anesthetize that nerve's area of innervation.
A — ÷ ÷ - injection of local anesthetic in the vicinity of a nerve plexus, often
inside a tissue compartment that limits the diffusion of the drug away from the intended
site of action. The anesthetic effect extends to the innervation areas of several or all
nerves stemming from the plexus.

c
A ë ÷ ÷ ÷ - a local anesthetic is injected into the epidural space where it acts
primarily on the spinal nerve roots. Depending on the site of injection and the volume
injected, the anesthetized area varies from limited areas of the abdomen or chest to
large regions of the body.
A ÿ ÷ ÷ ÷ - a local anesthetic is injected into the cerebrospinal fluid , usually at
the lumbar spine (in the lower back), where it acts on spinal nerve roots and part of
the spinal cord. The resulting anesthesia usually extends from the legs to the abdomen
or chest.
A r  ÷  
 ÷ ÷  ÷   
 - blood circulation of a limb is interrupted
using a tourniquet (a device similar to a blood pressure cuff), then a large volume of local
anesthetic is injected into a peripheral vein. The drug fills the limb's venous system and
diffuses into tissues where peripheral nerves and nerve endings are anesthetized. The
anesthetic effect is limited to the area that is excluded from blood circulation and
resolves quickly once circulation is restored.
A  
÷ ÷ ÷   
÷ (e.g. intrapleural anesthesia, intraarticular anesthesia)

·
  

 (or

 

 ) is anaesthesia affecting only a large part of
the body, such as a limb. Regional anaesthetic techniques can be divided into central and
peripheral techniques. The central techniques include so called neuroaxial blocks
(epidural anaesthesia, spinal anaesthesia ). The peripheral techniques can be further divided
into plexus blocks such as brachial plexus blocks , and single nerve blocks. Regional
anaesthesia may be performed as a single shot or with a continuous catheter through wh ich
medication is given over a prolonged period of time, e.g. continuous peripheral nerve block .
Last but not least, regional anaesthesia can be provided by injecting local anaesthetics
directly into the veins of an arm (provided the venous flow is impeded by a tourniquette.)
This is called intravenous regional techniques ( Bier block). Regional anaesthesia generally
involves the introduction of local anaesthetics to block the nerve supply to a specific part of
the body, such as a limb, so p atients cannot feel pain.

?  The following terms are often used interchangeably:

A  
÷ ÷ ÷÷ , in a strict sense, is anaesthesia of a small part of the body such as a
tooth or an area of skin.
A ·
 ÷ ÷ ÷÷ is aimed at anaesthetizing a larger part of the body such as a leg
or arm.
A  
 ÷ ÷÷ is a comprehensive term which encompasses a great variety of
local and regional anaesthetic techniques.

c
 A Regional anaesthesia may provide anaesthesia (absence of feeling, including pain)
to allow a surgical operation , or provide post -operative pain relief. Various brachial
plexus blocks exist for shoulderand arm procedures. Methods similar to routine
regional anaesthetic techniques are also often used for treating chronic pain.

A In labour and childbirth, epidural or combined spinal epidurals provide effective pain
relief. Regional anaesthesia is now more common than general anaesthesia
for caesarian section procedures.

A Nerve blocks are widely used in veterinary medicine to diagnose lameness. A very
common application is the diagnosis of navicular disease in horses.

=


 

 (or




 ) is a state of unconsciousness and loss of
protective reflexes resulting from the administration of one or more general
anaesthetic agents. A variety of medications may be administered, with the overall aim of
ensuring hypnosis, amnesia, analgesia, relaxation of skeletal muscles, and loss of control
of reflexes of the autonomic nervous system. The optimal combination of these agents for any
given patient and procedure is typically selected by an anaesthesiologist or another provider
such as an anesthesiologist assistant or nurse anaesthetist , in consultation with the patient
and the medical or dental practitioner who is performing the operative procedure.

Purpose

General anesthesia has many purposes including:

1. Analgesia ² loss of response to pain,

2. Amnesia ² loss of memory,
3. Immobility ² loss of motor reflexes,
4. Hypnosis ² loss of consciousness,
5. Skeletal muscle relaxation.



 are a class of psychoactive drugs which are said to reduce or block signals to the
conscious mind from other parts of the brain. [1] Although many kinds of drugs are capable of
such action, dissociatives are unique in that they do so in such a way that they
produce hallucinogenic effects, which may include sensory
deprivation, dissociation, hallucinations , and dream-like states ortrances.[2] Some, which are
nonselective in action and affect the dopamine [3] and/or opioid[4] systems, may be capable of
inducing euphoria. Many dissociatives have general depressant effects and can
produce sedation, respiratory depression [
÷ ] , analgesia, anesthesia, and ataxia, as
well as cognitive and memory impairment and amnesia.