Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), amnesia (loss of memory), and unconsciousness. A person under the effects of anesthetic drugs is referred to as being anesthetized. Anesthesia enables the painless performance of medical procedures that would otherwise cause severe or intolerable pain to a person who is not anesthetized, or would otherwise be technically unfeasible. Three broad categories of anesthesia exist: General anesthesia suppresses central nervous system activity and results in unconsciousness and total lack of sensation, using either injected or inhaled drugs. Sedation suppresses the central nervous system to a lesser degree, inhibiting both anxiety and creation of long-term memories without resulting in unconsciousness. Regional and local anesthesia, which blocks transmission of nerve impulses from a
La anestesia es un estado de control, pérdida temporal de sensación o de conciencia que se induce para fines médicos. Puede incluir parte o toda la analgesia (alivio de o prevención de dolor), parálisis (relajación muscular), amnesia (pérdida de memoria), e inconsciencia. Una persona bajo los efectos de las drogas anestésicas se refiere a ser anestesiada. La anestesia permite el desempeño sin dolor de los procedimientos médicos que de otro modo causaría dolor severo o intolerable a una persona que no está anestesiada, o de otro modo sería técnicamente imposible. Existen tres categorías amplias de anestesia: la anestesia general suprime la actividad del sistema nervioso central y resulta en la inconsciencia y la falta total de sensación, utilizando drogas inyectadas o inhaladas.