Which Type Of Anesthesia?

Question

On June 25th,I'm having a Brostrom Procedure done (lateral ankle stabilization) due to multiple ankle sprains,a torn ATFL,and scar tissue build up,and I will probably get to choose the type of anesthesia,either general or spinal.Which one do you think would be the better choice?(not better,but more comfortable or whatever).I have never had surgery before if that makes any difference.

Any personal experiences that you could share with me would be great too!

The procedure is short...It only takes between an hour and an hour and a half.

Answer 1

General anesthesia has the advantage of making certain that you are completely "out" for the procedure. It is faster. It may have more problems with sore throat and nausea.

Spinal anesthesia allows you to breathe on your own, so you don't need any sort of breathing tube placed. Unlike general anesthesia, you will probably not have pain at the end of your procedure, until the spinal wears off. The disadvantages include being aware of the operating room, need for general anesthesia if the surgery lasts longer than the spinal, a small but real chance of getting a spinal headache or something called "transient radicular syndrome" which is pain in the butt for several days. As a rule, patients who have spinals seem to take longer to get out of recovery room and the hospital. I don't like to use spinals on older men because of a very high chance of urinary retention (difficulty urinating for hours).

Addendum: I wanted to comment on a couple of the answers above. This procedure could not be done under local. It is too deep, and local would not take care of tourniquet pain. Femoral nerve block would not help the pain from ankle surgery - this area is almost completely innervated by the sciatic nerve, which could be blocked but it is more difficult to block than a femoral. General anesthesia does not cause hair loss.

Answer 2

I have had both. I liked the spinal because I was alert and breathing on my own, etc. I have been re-admitted to the hospital twice after spiking a very high fever a day or two after surgery. They finally determined that this is just how my body responds to the anesthesia.
A spinal has less risks. I didn't have this experience, but many patients have told me that they lost hair after a general anesthetic. Those are some heavy duty chemicals they put into your body.

Answer 3

I've had surgery on both my feet. as a matter of fact, My left foot was done last Wed. ( May 9th ) My preference of anesthesia is general. I could never any type of surgery without being put out. Either way you choose, they numb the whole foot before you totally wake up, lasts pretty long. you really don't feel much pain until the numbness wears off.

Answer 4

Unless you are a nervous type I would suggest an Epidural. That way you would be fully awake but would feel nothing from the waist down. It is better for some people who may have a reaction to a general anesthesia.

Answer 5

I've had both types. It really depends on how much you want to know what is going on, since either way you won't feel anything. There are risks to both types, though much less than in years past. The only thing I would do is ask my doc if the procedure would take long enough for the spinal to wear off before they finished.

Answer 6

I've had more surgeries than I care to remember and every one has been under general anesthesia with no complications. Therefore I'd suggest the general. They put you to sleep, do the surgery, you wake up afterwards and it's all over 'cept for the recovery. Good luck to you !

Answer 7

Well you can have general with a femoral nerve block (where you're put to sleep) or have spinal with duramorph to where you could be pain free for 12-24 hours. It's basically up to you if you want to be asleep through it or awake. With the spinal they may be able to do light sedation if you'd rather not remember it. Good luck with it!

Answer 8

I would have a spinal, but keep in mind you're going to smell and hear unpleasant things in the OR. If you have the option, always opt for a spinal or local nerve block.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

i had one operation once with general anesthesia. the only discomfort was that 2 hours after i wake up i had to vomit. but that was all.