Types of Anesthesia [Video]

About the video: What are the different types of Anesthesia?

Listen to our anesthesiologist experts Thomas Losasso, M.D., Douglas Dubbink, M.D. and Stephen Gott, M.D. discuss the three different types of Anesthesia.

Meet Thomas Losasso, M.D.

Dr. Losasso’s approach: “At Summit, we use cutting-edge anesthesia and surgical protocols to optimize patient outcomes, but it’s also important to understand that each patient is special and has unique needs, wants, concerns, and fears regarding their care. Recognizing this helps us to customize the experience. We provide patients with state-of-the-art anesthesia care and an experience like no other ­- my personal goal is to make it great and to make it easy for you.”

Dr. Losasso’s education: Dr. Losasso earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering at Marquette University. He then went on to Medical School at Loyola University School of Medicine in Maywood, IL. Dr. Losasso completed his anesthesiology residency which included neuroanesthsia at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Meet Douglas Dubbink, M.D.

Dr. Dubbink’s approach: “My goal is to improve my patient’s surgical experience. I strive to provide calm gentle reassurance for patients who are anxious about anesthesia and ensure that every patient is skillfully cared for throughout their entire procedure. When a patient awakens after surgery and openly wonders why they were so nervous previously, I know I’ve done my job.”

Dr. Dubbink’s education: Dr. Dubbink earned is undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. He then went on to attend Medical School at Michigan State University. Dr. Dubbink completed his Anesthesiology Residency as well as a Fellowship in Pain Management at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, MN.

Meet Stephen Gott, M.D.

Dr. Gott’s approach: “Anesthesia and surgery can be a very anxious experience for most patients. It is my responsibility to ease that anxiety and fear. By applying the latest in anesthesia techniques and pharmacology to your specific surgery, I am able to optimize your safety and comfort throughout your surgical course.”

Dr. Gott’s education: Dr. Gott studied at the University of Minnesota, first earning his Bachelor’s of Science in Medical Technology and then continuing on to complete Medical School. Dr. Gott completed his anesthesiology residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, MN.

Summit Orthopedics supports healthy communities

Community health flourishes when specialized orthopedic care is conveniently available close to home. Summit Orthopedics is proud of our fellowship-trained subspecialty teams offering the full spectrum of orthopedic expertise in bone, tendon, ligament, muscle, and joint conditions—in addition to our wellness, prevention, and rehabilitation services. We have the expertise to proactively improve fitness, evaluate discomfort, and deliver personalized treatment to quickly and safely return you to the lifestyle you love.

Start your journey to a healthier, more active self. Visit our Facebook page to learn about our wellness services and schedule a free wellness consultation online. Find your orthopedic expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a consultation.

Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.

More resources for you

• Summit Orthopedics Takes A Specialized Approach To Surgical Anesthesia Protocols
• Watch the video: What to Know About Anesthesia
• Ask Dr. Dubbink: What Anesthesia Advances Are On The Horizon?
• Superior Surgical Safety Recognized by Joint Commission

Video Transcription

A lot of times, the choice of the anesthetic is based on the surgical procedure and patient needs – intraoperatively and postoperatively. We would like to provide an anesthetic or a component of an anesthetic that has significant postoperative pain-relieving properties, by virtue of how we conduct that, while minimizing the side effects. The three types of anesthesia are: Local anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and general anesthesia. Local anesthesia would mean that you take a drug that is a local anesthetic. It’s – many folks have heard of novocaine, even though we don’t use that so much anymore. But it’s a novocaine-type of medicine that’s used to inject in an area to make that area numb. So that would be more of a localized region of the body: perhaps a finger, toe, or small area of the foot, or a small area of the hand. Regional anesthesia is a broad, encompassing term that can include a peripheral nerve block, such as a block of the shoulder or of the arm, the hand, the lower extremity in the leg, foot. So it tends to be a descriptor of numbing up a specific region of the body. One of the reasons we offer many patients a regional anesthetic technique for their orthopedic surgery is because we can, with that regional anesthetic technique, provide pain relief for hours – 12 to 18 hours, approximately, with a lot of our regional anesthetic techniques, our peripheral nerve blocks. General anesthesia is where you would enter the operating suite, and you would be fully monitored. We start you off with a little preoperative oxygen through a mask. And typically through the IV line, we will inject a medicine that will get you off to sleep – and basically puts the brain to sleep, and signals the muscles to sleep.

Share this on