Resuscitation is the branch of medicine that deals with patient in critical condition and with the treatment and restoration of vital functions compromised by the onset of an acute illness or a traumatic event. The doctors who direct the resuscitation are the specialists in anesthesia and resuscitation.
Anesthesia generically indicates the abolition of sensitivity, consciousness and pain associated with muscle relaxation. Anesthesiology is therefore that branch of medicine that deals with eliminating pain sensitivity and consciousness during surgery or during an invasive procedure.
General anesthesia is performed using “anesthetic” drugs that induce a state of narcosis, or a condition of loss of consciousness in which vegetative functions can also be altered to varying degrees. Drugs that induce narcosis can be administered by the anesthetist mainly in two ways: the injection (specifically the intravenous one) and the inhalation one.
The purposes of anesthesia are: the suppression of consciousness (hypnosis), the abolition of pain (analgesia), the relaxation of the muscles (myorresolution), the abolition of memory (amnesia) and the reduction of complications related to surgical.
Anesthesia is divided into three phases: pre-operative (preparation), intra-operative (administration of anesthetic drugs and monitoring) and post-operative (awakening and recovery of vital functions).