Question

. Describe the difference between the action of a general and local anesthetic. Give examples of when each type of anesthetic is used.

Answer 1

1)General anaesthesia:

General anaesthesia removes all sensations ,including pain and also produces unconsciousness and sometimes muscular sensations.It affects the entire body and the person is unaware of pain.

Action of gneral anesthetic is it blocks the nerves that transmit pain signals and thus prevent brain from processing pain.

It is used for all major surgeries ,for examples,heart surgery,hip replacement, cataract surgery and so on and the drugs are midazolam,lorazepam etc

2)Local anaesthetic:

It is used to block pain and other sensations. The person is aware of the surroundings but won't painin that particular part of body

Actions of local anaesthetics are they block opening of voltage gated Na+ channels so nerve impluses cannot pass the obstructed region

Drugs used in local anaesthetics are procaine or lidocaine,for example,in the skin during suturing gash or in the mouth during dental work.