I have a question regarding anesthesia for surgery. I underwent a small volume liposuction surgery and was promised ‘Twilight Sedation’. I was told I would feel very sleepy and that I would not remember anything about the surgery. I also was told that this was better than General Anesthesia, safer and more comfortable and without the risks associated with a General. The Doctor said I had ‘Twilight Anesthesia’ but the Anesthesiologist said I had ‘General Anesthesia’, not Twilight. A Medical friend said I had neither. What did I have? Here are the particulars.
I received the following drugs through an IV: Reglan, Decadron, Glyco, Propofol, Ketamine, Mepridine and Medez (sp?) and something written as ‘LR’ throughout. Routine life support monitors were established with nasal O2, EKG, blood pressure cuff, etc. My eyes were taped shut and early in the procedure, an LMA mask was inserted. I also had local anesthesia with Tumescent technique for the liposuctioning. The surgery was 2 hours and 45 minutes long and I was in recovery for about an hour. My Anesthesia report indicated ‘GA’ as this was circled in the section labeled ‘PLAN’. The other choices, ‘MAC’, ‘EPIDURAL’ and ‘SPINAL’ were not circled or otherwise noted. What kind of Anesthesia did I have?
Thanks so very much

Doctor Joshua’s Answer

I showed your question to an anesthesiologist, and she said your description best fits the definition of general anesthesia, so she is in agreement with your own anesthesiologist. However, it is worth noting that general anesthesia, in healthy patients, is a safe form of anesthesia and actually safer than deep sedation. While small-volume liposuction can be done under sedation only, your anesthesiologist may have opted for general anesthesia due to various considerations. Your procedure was quite long, nearly 3 hours, which may have contributed to the fact that general anesthesia was needed. Please remember that your anesthesiologist determined the best and safest method considering your medical history, current medical conditions, and the requirements of the procedure. In this case your anesthesiologist judged that general anesthesia was in fact safer and more comfortable, and less risky for you.

If you have further questions about the anesthesia, please ask your anesthesiologist. He/she will be able to answer all your questions. Asking the surgeon specific questions about anesthesia is not recommended, because we surgeons are not familiar with the finesses of anesthesia and may not be able to answer your questions satisfactorily - you might half-jokingly say that we surgeons are best left to work on our side of the surgical drapes and not be presented any very difficult questions!